Time Out
by 1catfish8
Summary: Steph has another bad day, but then gets some news that could change her life. Will she take a chance?
1. Chapter 1

These characters aren't mine. I'm just borrowing them from Janet Evanovich.

Time Out

Lenny Maskovitz is going down. I looked down at my formerly clean clothes and wiped my face with the back of my hand as maple syrup dripped out of my hair. Pancakes saturated with syrup clung to various parts of my body. It had seemed like such a good idea at the time. Lenny was helping out at the pancake breakfast at the lodge. I could eat some pancakes and then collect Lenny and take him to jail.

My name is Stephanie Plum and I am a bond enforcement agent, aka BEA, aka bounty hunter. I'm not very skilled at my job and getting covered in food in pursuit of my skip is nothing new, but I almost always get my skip. In this case, my skip was Lenny Maskovitz, originally charged with public intoxication, and he was currently doubled over laughing at me. He took one look at me in line for my pancakes and threw everything he could reach at me. Every eye in the place was on me as I reached into my syrup covered purse and pulled out my handcuffs. Lenny was laughing so hard he didn't notice me slap the cuffs on him until it was too late.

"Lenny Maskovitz, you missed your court date and I have been authorized by Vincent Plum Bail Bonds to bring you in" He immediately straightened up and promptly slipped in the puddle of syrup and ended up flailing around on the floor trying to get up. Since I was still holding onto his cuffed arm at the time, Lenny dragged me down with him to roll around in yet more syrup. Just in case he missed a few spots from his first attempt to cover me in food products. Finally, I got us both to our feet and headed towards the door.

"Show's over folks. Enjoy your breakfast!" I called over my shoulder as I pushed Lenny out of the building. I spoke too soon. The sound of wailing sirens assaulted my ears as we stepped outside towards my car. A car sped around the corner on two wheels, followed by a string of cop cars with lights flashing and sirens going full blast. I watched as the driver lost control of the car and crashed into my latest POS, a red and primer gray 2003 Nissan Sentra. The driver jumped out of his car and took off running as the cops screeched to a halt and bailed out of their cars to chase him down. This turned out to be a good thing for everyone's safety as my car suddenly exploded, causing flaming debris to rain down on every vehicle in the immediate area. Within seconds, the suspect's vehicle and three cop cars were fully engulfed in flames.

I sat Lenny down on the curb and lowered myself down beside him to wait for the next act in this circus. This is not the first time this has happened to me, and I know the routine. A few minutes later, Carl Costanza and his partner Big Dog rolled up. They sauntered over to me, grinning. "It wasn't my fault!" I cried. Carl smirked at me and said, "it never is Steph. I won the pot this time, thank you very much. Nobody else thought you'd hold on to that car for this long. Five months is pretty good for you." As I said, this is not the first time this has happened. I have bad luck with cars. Very bad luck. The Trenton cops have a betting pool based on when and how my cars will meet their demise. It kinda pisses me off that people bet on me and my frequent misfortune, but there isn't much I can do about it. I looked over Carl's shoulder and watched as the man with the "Best Ass in Trenton" strode towards me. Cue the next act in the usual drama.

Joseph Morelli is a Trenton PD detective and my on again/ off again boyfriend, as well as one of two men that I love. Currently we are off, after a major blowup about a minor issue concerning the purchase of toilet paper. Joe and I have a long history going back to a game of Choo-Choo in his father's garage when I was six years old. He took my virginity when I was sixteen behind the éclair case at the Tasty Pastry where I worked and then wrote about it on bathroom stalls over Trenton. I ran him over and broke his leg with my father's Buick when I was twenty. He was my very first FTA after I blackmailed my cousin Vinnie into giving me a job. Over the past few years, we've had a pretty screwed up relationship. Sometimes he wants to marry me. Sometimes I manage to think about marrying him without breaking out in hives at the idea. Unfortunately (or fortunately maybe) we never have those marriage ideas at the same time. Joe stood in front of me now, hands on hips, staring down at his shoe. I could tell he was trying to get his temper under control. "Cupcake," he started.

"I'm okay Joe. It wasn't my fault."

"Christ, Steph. It's never your fault, but you still worry the shit out of me! Maalox isn't cutting it anymore on my ulcer. I may have to see about getting a prescription or you could get a new job."

"I like my job, Joe. And we're not together, remember? You don't get to make decisions about my career choices."

Joe's face was getting redder, turning towards purple. He opened his mouth and closed it several times. I waited for the explosion. Surprisingly, it didn't come. "You're right Cupcake. I'm glad you're okay." And then he walked away. Hunh. I didn't expect that to happen.

I felt a tingle run up the back of my neck. I turned around to see Ranger's black Porsche glide to a stop. Ranger is Ricardo Carlos Manoso, owner of the badass security company called Rangeman, bounty hunter extraordinaire, sometimes super secret government operative, frequent rescuer of Stephanie Plum, and who knows what else. Ranger doesn't invite close scrutiny into his life. I've know him since he became my mentor for my first FTA several years ago, we've been intimate on a few occasions, I've helped him several times, he's helped me countless times, and I still don't know much about him. Ranger has Secrets with a capital "S." Ranger is smoke. He's the Wizard. He's Batman. And he's the other man that I love.

"Babe," he stated with a blank face while looking me up and down. Babe can mean a variety of things in Ranger-speak. In this case, I interpret it as, "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay," I reassure him.

"You never disappoint." His lips tilt up ever so slightly in an almost smile.

"Glad I amuse you too," I huffed.

Ranger reached out and pulled me close, leaning in to sniff my hair. He tilted my face up and gently kissed me, licking the seam of my lips which still had syrup covering them. "Yum." he breathed and heat shot through my veins. Ranger released me and walked away, having only spoken five words. That's Ranger, master of the almost-conversation.

After giving my statement, Carl and Big Dog gave me and Lenny a ride to the station. I dropped off Lenny and collected my body receipt from the docket lieutenant. I had already called my dad to come pick me up and take me back to my parent's house so I could borrow Big Blue, an indestructible old powder blue Buick. My mom and Grandma Mazur were waiting on the front porch when we pulled up in front of the house. Their 'Burg mother radars must have been humming to alert them of my approach.

"Hot damn Stephanie! I wish I'd been there to see it. I'm gonna have a pip of a story to tell at the beauty shop tomorrow morning." Grandma pushed her uppers around in her mouth some. "We had to take the phone off the hook. The line just blew up within five minutes of you getting to the lodge breakfast, telling us all about how you and some man were rolling around in syrup groping each other. Sounds hot!"

I rolled my eyes in response. "It wasn't like that Grandma. He was my skip and he didn't want to go to jail. There was NO GROPING!"

My mother piped up then, "Myra Lewis' daughter doesn't roll around in maple syrup at the pancake breakfast. Why me? I hear the personal products plant is hiring for people to stuff tampons into boxes. You'd have a safe job, and benefits! Please, Stephanie!"

Sighing, I dragged myself up the front steps. "Look, Mom. I don't want to work at the personal products plant. I'm not cut out to box tampons. I actually like my job, which I've told you countless times before. I'm sorry, but I'm never gonna be like Myra Lewis' daughter. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to grab a shower here before I get into Big Blue. I don't want to get the seats covered in syrup if I don't have to." Mom and Grandma stepped aside as I went through the front door and up the stairs to the bathroom. Stripping down, I climbed into the shower and scrubbed myself until all residual syrup stickiness was gone from my hair and body. With a towel wrapped around my hair, and another around my body, I made my way to old bedroom in search of clean clothes left behind from previous stays at my parent's house.

A few minutes later, clad in jeans and an old TPD t-shirt of Joe's with wet hair hanging down my back, I went downstairs and plopped down in the kitchen. My mom had already made me a plate with a sandwich and cookies. No matter how upset she gets, my mom still feels it necessary to feed me. She was in the corner with the ironing board set up, ignoring me, ironing her stress out with each shirt or pair of pants. I thanked her for the food, grabbed the keys to the Buick, and motored off for home.

After docking the boat known as "Big Blue" in a parking spot by the dumpster, I stopped to collect my mail before heading to my apartment. I checked on Rex, my hamster, told him about my bad day, and dropped him a grape. He twitched his whiskers in commiseration of my day. Rex doesn't say much, he's more the strong silent type. This makes him the perfect roomie, in my opinion.

I sorted out bills from the junk mail, and spotted a large envelope. The return address was a law firm in Illinois. I don't think I know anyone in Illinois. I'm a Jersey girl through and through and my friends and family are all Jersey as well. I stared at it for a minute before my curiosity got the better of me.

Ripping open the envelope, I saw a stack of papers. I read the cover letter first. What I read was quite a surprise. Simply put, Elizabeth Price died and named me her sole beneficiary in her will. I had no idea who Elizabeth price was, but the documents showed me I now owned a house in Illinois and a few million in total assets. Hunh. Maybe this day is looking up.


	2. Chapter 2

These characters aren't mine. I'm just borrowing them from Janet Evanovich.

Time Out

Ch2

Since it was Sunday, I was going to have to wait to contact the law office. That would be first on my list of things to do Monday morning. I took the time to read through all the documents in more detail. There was a house and its contents located in a town called Jacksonville in Illinois. There was money in a bank somewhere. There was money invested diversely. All told, it came to about three million dollars in assets, before the inheritance taxes. There wasn't anything that said who Elizabeth Price was in relation to me. I hoped this wasn't a mistake. I didn't want to get too excited in case the lawyers sent this to the wrong Stephanie Michelle Plum.

I tried calling my mom, but apparently the phone was still unplugged from the earlier incident. Looking at the clock, I saw that I just barely had enough time to get to my parent's house for dinner at six sharp. I grabbed my purse, the pile of legal papers, and my keys, and steered Big Blue back to my parent's house. Again, Mom and Grandma were standing on the porch waiting for me. How do they do that? It was just my mom, dad, grandma, and me for dinner. Thankfully the Kloughn family circus decided to stay home that night. After stuffing my face with pot roast, mashed potatoes, and mom's truly excellent chocolate torte, I was ready to talk.

"Do any of you know Elizabeth Price?" I asked. Grandma sucked in a gasp.

"What?" She shook her head. "Spill it please, Grandma." I asked again.

"Where did you hear that name Steph?" Grandma asked quietly, with an almost pained expression on her face. This is weird. Grandma is never quiet.

I reached into my purse and hauled out the stack of papers I received in the mail. "I got this in the mail. It's from a law office in Illinois. Someone named Elizabeth Price named me her sole beneficiary in her will. I don't know anyone by that name, so I'm a little worried the lawyers sent this to the wrong Stephanie Plum." Grandma took the papers from my hand. She read the cover letter, and sat there with her head bowed. She looked up at me after a minute and there were tears in her eyes.

"Elizabeth was my sister," Grandma said simply. Mom, Dad, and I gaped at her. We didn't know Grandma had a sister! "Elizabeth was quite a bit older than me, and had a falling out with our father. He basically disowned her by telling her that if she walked out the door, she could never come back and to not bother trying to contact any of us. She left and that was that. My father never mentioned her again. It was like she was erased from our lives and had never existed."

"Wow, Grandma. That's a horrible story! How do you know she's your sister then. Wouldn't her name have been the same as your maiden name?"

"Well, she exchanged letters with her best friend here in the 'Burg for a few years and Janie filled me in on the sly. Elizabeth met an older well-to-do man after she left home. He was from somewhere in the Midwest. He swept her off her feet and they got married. Apparently they traveled around the world for a few years before her husband passed away suddenly. They never had children. The last Janie heard from her, she was headed back to Mr. Price's hometown to bury him. She never heard from her again."

"But why would she leave me her estate?" I wondered aloud.

"Knowing my sister, I bet she kept tabs on what was going on here in Trenton over the years, even if she never contacted us. You actually remind me a lot of her, Stephanie. Elizabeth was so stubborn and determined to have an interesting life, that was the main problem between her and my father. Maybe she read up on your exploits here in Trenton and decided to give you a chance to have an adventure."

We all sat there for a few minutes contemplating all we'd just heard. My father finally sighed and stood up. Kissing my head, he muttered, "You'll figure it out Pumpkin" and went to the living room to watch some TV.

"Well, Stephanie, this could be a real opportunity for you," my mother stated hesitantly. "Despite my nagging, I know you'll never want to live a life like mine or your sister's. Maybe this could give you the chance to figure out what you want to do with the rest of your life." My jaw dropped. My mother finally admitting that she knew I'd never turn into a 'Burg wife? Is the world ending?

"Don't give me that look Stephanie. I'm still your mother and I only want what's best for you. I'm just acknowledging you and I have different ideas about what is 'best'."

"Sorry, Mom. And thanks, I think. It means a lot to hear you say that." Darn it, now I'm starting to feel emotional.

The Plum family doesn't do emotion well. We express our feelings with food. Which is why my mom quickly stood up and headed for the kitchen, calling over her shoulder, "how about some more cake?"

I left my parent's house with a large paper bag filled with leftovers. After stowing the food in my nearly empty fridge, I flopped down on my bed in my thinking position. What to do? My life could definitely use a change. I liked my job, but I'm seriously lacking in skills to do my job safely. I have trouble paying my rent and filling my fridge and my furniture is dorm room thrift store chic. My life is a great source of entertainment for a variety of people. I tend to attract crazies and stalkers more than is healthy. A five year old could break into my apartment no matter how many locks I have on the door. Worst of all, I loved two men.

One is a hot Italian cop with whom I have a very tumultuous relationship. I loved him, but I don't think it's the kind of love that'll survive being married. I don't even want to get re-married most of the time and I'm not too sure I want kids ever. I want to fly and if it has to be solo, then so be it. Joe is ready to get married and have a family now. Talk about opposite goals.

The other is a gorgeous Cuban mercenary. Ranger's love comes with a whole list of qualifiers, like condoms and no rings. That'd actually be okay with me, but he doesn't share about his life. And while marriage isn't necessary, it'd be nice to have more of a relationship than hit and run sex.

Thinking about it like that, neither Joe nor Ranger is the man I should be looking at but you can't choose who you love. Unfortunately, it's too easy to give in to both of them since they are in close proximity most of the time.

Maybe I need some distance. Maybe I need a new life. Maybe I need a vacation. Maybe I could do all of that.

Ordinarily I couldn't afford any of it, but if my long lost great aunt Elizabeth really did leave me her fortune, then the money shouldn't be a problem. Calling that law firm would still be first on my list of things to do in the morning. On that note, I drifted off to sleep, dreaming of warm sandy beaches and a hot cabana boy bringing me fruity drinks and applying sunscreen to my bikini clad back.


	3. Chapter 3

These characters aren't mine. I'm just borrowing them from Janet Evanovich.

Time Out

Ch3

I woke up Monday morning feeling better than I had in quite awhile. After a long scalding hot shower, I worked a dollop of gel through my hair and blasted it briefly with the hair dryer. I skipped most of my makeup routine, applying only 2 coats of mascara and some clear lip gloss. I donned my usual uniform of jeans and stretchy t-shirt and headed for the kitchen to make some coffee. I tapped on Rex's cage and poured hamster crunchies in his dish while waiting for the coffee to finish brewing. I had leftover chocolate cake with my coffee and called it good on breakfast.

Sitting at my dining room table, I pulled out the whole stack of papers from the lawyer and added a notepad and pen. First up for the day was calling the law firm. The receptionist put me on hold, and I waited for several minutes listening to truly horrible muzak before the lawyer, Mr. Holmes, came on the line. "Ms. Plum?" he asked in a flat Midwestern accent.

"Yes sir, Mr. Holmes. I received an interesting packet of information in the mail and wanted to talk to you to get some more details."

Holmes cleared his throat and started to fill me in. My great aunt passed away a few months ago and it took his office awhile to track me down. Apparently she kept up with my activities and named me in her will, but didn't leave the lawyer any way to reach me. She was ninety years old when she passed and had let things slide for the past few years. Her affairs were going to take awhile to sort out. Holmes and I agreed that I would go out to Illinois in a few weeks to sign the paperwork and try to get everything in order. He seemed like a nice, helpful guy. Much better than my ex-husband, the Dick, the kind of guy who gave attorney's a bad rep.

I was going to have to dip into my savings big time for this trip. A while back I brought in the "Rug" and collected a pretty hefty fee. For the first time in my life I had an investment portfolio. It wasn't a huge amount, but it was more than I had before. Rather than invest the whole amount, I put about a third of the money in my emergency savings account. It was financially tight some months, but I'd managed not to dip into the account.

I stared off into space for awhile, thinking about what I wanted to do. Finally I snapped back to reality and pulled the notepad closer. It was time to make a list of everything I needed to do. I had come to a decision and it was going to change my life big time.

1. Give notice on my apartment, break lease.

2. Get rid of furniture and unnecessary clothing.

3. Give notice at bonds office.

4. Talk to Joe.

5. Talk to Ranger.

6. Talk to Merry Men.

7. Talk to family.

8. Go out and buy a brand new car to make the long trip (since I'm taking Rex with me for moral support).

9. Settle the estate in Illinois by signing paperwork, putting the house on the market, etc.

10. Road trip! I want to see the country, all those states I've never visited, and take time to figure out where I want my life to go from here on out.

By the time I finished my list, I was starting to get excited. I had a lot to accomplish in the next two weeks and some of it was undoubtedly going to be painful, but I was taking charge of my life! I decided to forego the elevator and bopped down the stairs to talk to Dillon, the building super. Dillon's a pretty mellow guy and today was no different. "Gee Steph. It'll sure be quiet once you leave, but the insurance rates'll probably go down on the building. Best of luck to ya!" I gave him my best 'Burg eye roll and asked if he knew anyone who needed furniture. He came upstairs and claimed my dining room set for one of my downstairs neighbors, the couch for one of his buddies, and the bedroom set for his sister who was just starting out in her first apartment. He volunteered to help me get the rest downstairs to the dumpster since it wasn't in the best shape.

After Dillon left, I pulled out a box of heavy duty garbage bags and started going through my closet. My apartment has been firebombed a few times, so I don't have a huge amount of stuff. I put all the excessively worn, torn, or stained stuff in bags destined for the dumpster. This took most of my jeans and t-shirts since I tend to get messy while doing my job. Looking in my closet, most of what was left were distraction outfits. These outfits were used to help me lure skips out of bars and clubs so that Ranger and the Merry Men can safely apprehend them. They were mostly short, tight, and shiny. Probably they wouldn't be appropriate for the new improved me. Not to mention, I don't see there being much need to wear them in Illinois, or the rest of the states on my road trip. I kept back a couple of the more conservative (I use that term loosely) outfits and bagged the rest to be donated. All that's left would probably fit in one large suitcase, which I found kinda depressing. I even worked up the nerve to bag and donate most of my fairly impressive collection of FMP's. I kept a few of my favorite pairs, as well as my better sneakers, and some of the lower heeled shoes and boots.

I lugged all the bags into the elevator and headed down. After heaving the trashed clothes into the dumpster, I put the other bags of clothes and shoes into Big Blue's trunk and rushed them over to Goodwill before I change my mind. It was after 5pm by this time and too late to stop by the bonds office and give my notice. I had accomplished the first two items on my list today and was exhausted mentally and physically from my day. Time to call it quits for the day. I picked up a meatball sub from Pino's and a dozen Boston Cremes from the Tasty Pastry and headed back to my apartment. I had a date with Ghostbusters and I didn't want to be late.


	4. Chapter 4

Author Note: This is my first fanfic. I'm pretty sure this is going to turn out Babe, but I'm not guaranteeing it right now. I know what I want Steph to accomplish, and right now Ranger seems like he'll be the mostly likely choice for her in the end. Hopefully Ranger will cooperate with my plans. Just a warning for those who don't want anything that isn't a Babe- it's likely, but not 100% at this time. Enjoy!

These characters aren't mine. I'm just borrowing them from Janet Evanovich.

Time Out

Tuesday morning came all too soon. I blindly slapped at my alarm clock, finally knocking it halfway across the room before rolling out of bed to start my day. Dillon and I had worked out a deal so that while the rest of my apartment was missing furniture, Dillon's sister wouldn't get my bedroom set until I was actually ready to leave. Taking charge of my life doesn't include sleeping on the floor for two weeks. I decided to go full out with my beauty regimen today and an hour later I was shampooed, conditioned, shaved, exfoliated, and moisturized and was standing at the bathroom mirror applying full "war paint" which included several coats of waterproof mascara. I had a feeling I was going to need the confidence boost that a full face of makeup would give me today.

While the coffee was brewing, I gave Rex a corner of my Pop Tart and filled him in on my plans for the day. I asked him if he was getting excited for our adventure to start. He blinked his beady little eyes and twitched his whiskers before hurrying back to his soup can. In hamster-speak, I'm pretty sure that means "Yes! Road trips rock!"

I swung by Tasty Pastry and picked up two dozen assorted donuts before making my way to the bonds office. "White girl brought donuts!" Lula exclaimed. Lula was resembling a traffic signal today. Her hair was dyed a brilliant candy apple red and she wore a bright yellow tube top paired with a neon green spandex miniskirt. Once my eyes had recovered from the shock, I set the donuts on Connie's desk and she and Lula immediately dove in.

After the feeding frenzy subsided a bit, I tilted my head towards Vinnie's office door and asked, "Is he in?" Connie nodded and waved me towards the door. Her mouth was too full of donut to say anything. I knocked on Vinnie's door and waited for him to acknowledge me. Vinnie's my cousin. He's also a pervert. I wasn't about to open his office door unannouced. I might end up having to gouge out my eyes to erase what I saw. I gave an involuntary shudder just thinking about the possibility. I could hear rustling around in his office and a few seconds later Vinnie yelled for me to come in. Taking a deep breath, I crossed my fingers and opened the door.

Vinnie was sitting behind his desk, resembling a weasel in his den. The office was dark and the furniture was dingy. I was afraid I might catch something if I sat down, so I stood in front of his desk. "We need to talk," I started. I explained that while I appreciated him giving me a job when I blackmailed him into it, I needed to make some changes in my life and was therefore giving him notice that I was quitting. I had worked out a whole little speech in my head while I was in the shower this morning, but Vinnie didn't let me finish it. He immediately started screaming about how I was letting him down and who was going to pick up the lower level skips that Rangeman wouldn't touch. He was rapidly descending into a full blown tantrum, complete with red face, flailing arms, and screeching voice. I backed out of the room and closed the door behind me. I don't even think he noticed I was gone.

"Well, that went well," I told Connie and Lula as I snagged a donut from the nearly empty box on the desk.

"What'd you say to set him off?" Lula wanted to know.

When I explained that I just gave my notice, both women started shrieking.

"Spill it girlfriend," Lula demanded. So I did. Or at least some of it. I decided yesterday after talking to the lawyer that I was going to keep the inheritance information to myself. My family already knew, but there's not much I could do about it now. Hopefully they'd keep it to themselves. So I told Connie and Lula that I was going to be making some changes in my life and that it was starting with a road trip. It was still true, it just wasn't the whole truth. After I explained how I'd already given up the lease on my apartment and my donations to Goodwill, I think it finally hit both women that I was serious about my plans. I think we were all a little misty-eyed by the time I made my escape from the office an hour later. I was going to miss my friends, but we promised to keep in touch and it wasn't like I was going away forever. Connie didn't have any new files for me, so I was free for the rest of the day.

I pulled my list out of my purse and crossed off number three. Three down, seven to go. Of the seven remaining, two couldn't be accomplished here in Trenton, so really I had only five left to accomplish in the next couple weeks. I called Joe's cell phone and asked if we could meet. He sounded slightly wary when he told me he was busy for most of the day with work but was available this evening. We agreed to meet at a nearby park. Joe seemed confused by the location, but it made the most sense to me. It was neutral ground. Not my place, not his place, and it was less public than meeting at Pino's where we'd be sure to have an attentive audience trying to listen in on our conversation. I offered to bring the meal, Cluck in a Bucket, as a sort of peace offering.

Since I had the afternoon free, I decided to head over to my parent's house. Luckily my dad's cab was parked in front of the house and I could see my mom and grandma on the porch as I pulled up. This was good, I could talk to all three of them at once. "Come on in Stephanie," my mother said. "I got a nice coffee cake from Giovichinni's this morning." Well, that's good news. Sugary food will help this news go down I better. I hope. I called Dad into the dining room from his recliner in front of the big screen TV, just as Mom bustled in with plates and the coffee cake. Silence reigned for a few minutes as we dug into the cake.

I cleared my throat and three pairs of eyes turned in my direction. Here goes nothin'. First, I recounted yesterday's conversation with the lawyer, Mr. Holmes. I then told them of my plan to make changes in my life, since I wasn't very happy with how things were going for me currently. I told them how I didn't think I could accomplish any significant changes while I was still in Trenton, that there was just too much history here with too many people. I needed to go somewhere new for awhile, where I could work and focus on myself without interference. I showed them my list. I stopped talking and let them read over the list. The silence dragged on for so long, my eye started to twitch in nervousness. My family may drive me nuts and be a part of my problems here in Trenton, but I do love them and want their support.

Finally my father spoke up, "We'll miss you, Pumpkin, but you go do what you need to. As long as you're doing to this to better yourself and not to run away from your problems, I think this sounds like a good plan." With that, he pushed his chair back from the table, leaned over to kiss my forehead, and went back to his recliner. Wow, two whole sentences in a row from my dad! That might be a record.

Grandma Mazur piped up next. "Stephanie, this road trip idea of yours sounds like fun. How 'bout we make it a girl's trip and go hunt down some hot studs? I could use some fresh meat!" I shuddered at the thought of my wrinkly grandma with a body like a soup chicken on the hunt for hot men.

"No, Grandma. This isn't a vacation looking for cute guys. I think you missed the point."

"Boy you sure don't know how to have any fun. A new man could give you a whole new look on life," she informed me. The last thing I needed was another man in my life. I recalled all the times my mother and grandmother tried to set me up with someone, culminating in the Dave Brewer fiasco. It never worked out.

I turned towards my mother. "What do you think of my plan, Mom?" Inwardly I was cringing, waiting for her to blast me for coming up with a harebrained scheme and asking me why I couldn't settle down and get married.

You could have knocked me over with a feather when she replied, "I meant what I told you the other day, Stephanie. I really think this is a good opportunity for you. I agree with your father, as long as you're doing this to figure out what will make you happy, then I'm okay with it." As a rule, we are not a family of huggers, but I couldn't resist the impulse to race around the table to hug my mom.

"Thanks, Mom. That really means a lot," I whispered in her ear as she hugged me back. I released her, and we both self conciously smoothed our clothes, not comfortable with the emotional moment we'd just shared.

Mom bagged up the rest of the coffee cake for me and she and my grandmother stood on the porch to watch until my car rounded the corner. Another difficult conversation down, and another one to come in just a few hours. I needed to get home and prepare for my showdown, er, conversation, with Joe.


	5. Chapter 5

Author Note: Thank you to those that took the time to review my story. Positive feedback is always nice to read. I really appreciate it! Thank you also to those of you who are following the story and/or favorited it.

Janet Evanovich owns these characters. I'm just borrowing them.

Time Out

Ch5

I mentally rehearsed what I wanted to say to Joe and practiced how I wanted the conversation to play out the entire from Cluck-in-a-Bucket to the park. I was a few minutes early, so I located a secluded picnic table a little ways off the main path and carried the food over to wait for Joe. I heard the rattling exhaust of his POS unmarked cop car before I saw him. I stood up and waved him over to the table. Joe cautiously sat down on the opposite side of the table. He looked kinda tense, like he was ready to bold any second. "What's up, Cupcake?"

"Um, let's eat first, before the chicken gets cold. Is that okay? We can talk after, " I replied in a shockingly squeaky voice. Uh oh, nerves don't fail me now, I thought. Joe obliged by reaching into the chicken bucket, while I opened the sides and dug out the plastic silverware and napkins.

Fifteen minutes later, Joe had had enough. "Alright Steph, you're freaking me out. What's going on?"

"Joe, do you remember when you said something along the lines of 'there's you and there's me, but there's no us'?" He nodded slowly. "Well I think that statement hits it right on the head. There has never been an 'us', no matter how we've tried." Joe frowned at this.

"Joe, do you love me? Like really love me? As in, you'll take me as I am without me changing as long as you can spend the rest of your life with me?"

"Of course I love you Steph. You know this. I'd marry you right now if you had a different job. This bounty hunter shit stresses me out too much."

I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Please don't get upset here Joe. This is stuff that needs to get said, without getting interrupted with our usual big fight. Okay?" A brief nod. Good.

"I don't think you love me in the way that it needs to be if we were to get married. I shouldn't have to change my job just so you'll marry me. I don't even know if I want to ever get married again. Kids scare the crap out of me. You know this about me and I shouldn't have to change who I am for you. Just as you shouldn't have to change who you are for me.

"I love you Joe. But I don't think I love you enought to want to change for you or to accept that fact that you tend to be a bit domineering, or the fact that you want kinds and I don't. I love you, but we make each other miserable, and you know it."

"Cupcake, are you breaking up with me? We're not miserable, we're good together. We can work this out."

"No, I don't think we can. You and I have a lot of history together, good and bad. We take each other for granted. This on-again/ off-again thing has been our norm. We're in a rut and I think it's time we break out of it. The sex is good, I'm not gonna argue that. Other than sex, we fight over everything else. It's not healthy. We don't even date!"

"We're together, why would we date?"

"Ugh! Mary Lou and Lenny have been married for years and they still have date nights where they go to dinner and a movie. Eddie and Shirley are married with kids and they get a babysitter once a week so they can go on a date. We're not married and the closest thing we get to a date is takeout from Pino's and a hockey game on TV!"

"So this is about me not taking you out for dinner and spending money on you?"

"No, not entirely. I brought up the date thing because to me it's an example of how we take each for granted. There's no mystery or excitement or romance. I need that, or at least a little of that sometimes. I shouldn't have to settle. You shouldn't either. Somewhere out there is a woman who fits you. You won't fight with her near as much, the sex will be great, and you won't have to stress out about her job. You won't have to try your hardest to convince her to marry you and have your children, because she'll already love you enough to want those things with you."

Joe just stared at me for a minute and then looked down at the table. I could tell he was trying to keep his emotions under control. His voice was low when he spoke again. "Was all this tonight to tell me you're leaving me for Ranger? Did Manoso finally win?"

"No, Joe. I'm not leaving you for Ranger. He doesn't even know I'm having this conversation with you. I'm doing this for us. We both deserve to be happy, and we're not happy when we're together. Actually I invited you here to tell you I'm leaving town for awhile. I don't like the way my life is headed and I don't think I can figure it out if I stay here in Trenton."

"What? Where are you going? You don't have to run away, Cupcake! I'm not that bad!"

I gritted my teeth, "I'm not running away. I'm going on a little trip. I don't know how long I'll be gone, but I will definitely be back and it won't be until I'm ready. And I'm not leaving because of you. Or not just because of you." The look on Joe's face was killing me. I really thought he was about to cry.

I pushed my hands against the table top, stood up, and walked around the picnic table. Leaning in so my chest pressed against Joe's back, I wrapped my arms around him in a tight hug. I whispered in his ear, "Be happy, Joe. You're a good man and you deserve someone special. I'm so sorry I can't be that someone for you." I kissed his cheek and released him. After hurriedly scooping up the debris from our meal into the Cluck-in-a-Bucket bag and dumping it into the nearby garbage can, I took off for Big Blue. Once in the car, I looked over at Joe. He was still sitting at the table, and he was staring at me with a look of utter devastation on his face.

Our gazes held for a long minute, before I broke away and drove off. All the way home, I managed to keep the tears from falling, but when I got to my apartment I couldn't control them anymore. I sobbed out my anguish over the death of our relationship. There would be no resuscitating it this time. I loved Joe and never wanted to hurt him like this, but it was for the best. Maybe he'd thank me for it one day.


	6. Chapter 6

Author note: This chapter is pretty short. Ranger is a man of few words, so it somehow seems appropriate.

Janet Evanovich owns these characters. I'm just borrowing them.

Time Out

Ch6

After my crying jag, I was exhausted. I fell asleep face down on my bed and was startled awake several hours later, my heart pounding with the knowledge that someone was in my apartment. My neck shivered, I caught a faint whiff of Bulgari shower gel, and I relaxed. Ranger.

"Lookin' scary, Babe."

I rolled off the bed and headed for the bathroom. "Gimme a minute," I mumbled. After finishing my business, I glanced in the mirror shrieked. Scary is an understatement. My hair was completely plastered to my head on one side, while the other side was sticking straight out. My eyes were still swollen and red from my meltdown earlier in the evening. Apparently I had maxed out the limits of my waterproof mascara, because it was smudged down my face. I'm pretty sure that was drool caked on my chin. In short, I resembled a creature from a horror movie. I washed my face and scraped my hair back into a half-assed ponytail and called it good. While I was fixing the damage, I contemplated what to say to Ranger. I hadn't planned on having this conversation, but he's here now so I might as well take advantage of it. When I opened my bathroom door, I could see Ranger stretched out on my bed, leaning against the headboard. My stomach fluttered as I remembered previous time of Ranger being in my bed. Ranger was magic. I shook my head and flopped down in the chair across the room. There'd be none of that tonight. I couldn't afford to get distracted.

"Babe."

"Crap, I said that out loud, huh?"

His lips quirked. "Apartment's looking a little vacant. Lose some furniture?"

"Uh, maybe?" I gulped.

"Just stopped by to tell you I'm going to be out of touch for awhile."

"Oh. How long are you going to be in the wind this time?"

"It's up in the air. Could be a few months, could be longer."

Shit, we definitely needed to talk right now if he's going to be gone that long. I can't just keep it to myself and then have him discover me gone when he gets back. I got up and started pacing.

"I smell something burning, Babe."

"Um, well, I'm leaving too."

"Explain."

I hesitated, then spoke in a rush. "My life sucks. I need a change. So I'm leaving for awhile to try to figure some stuff out. It won't be forever, I'll be back. I already gave up the lease on my apartment, and I gave Vinnie my notice. I'm leaving in a couple weeks and don't know when I'll be back."

"You were crying earlier."

"I broke it off with Joe. Permanently. It was on my list." I cringed. That sounded bad. Like breaking up with someone you love is just another item on the household list. Like 'buy milk, buy tampons, pick up the dry cleaning, break up with Joe." Jeez.

"Am I on your list?"

"Yes. I know this isn't the best time for this since you need to leave, but I couldn't stand the thought of not telling you before I go."

Ranger stared at me for a long moment, blank face firmly in place. Then he exhaled a small breath, which for Ranger is the equivalent of a big sigh. He held out his hand to me, and I reached over to take it. He pulled me into his arms so I was basically sitting on his lap, leaning against his chest. I instantly relaxed, feeling safe and secure in his arms.

"I'm not running away you know," I mumbled into his chest. "I need to figure out my life and I don't think I can pull that off here. I'm going to miss you, though."

Ranger rested his chin on my head. "Do you need anything from me before you go? A car? Money?"

"No. Just your support. I've got the money, and I'll have a car soon." I waited a minute before speaking tentatively, "I love you Ranger. I know your life doesn't lend itself to relationships, but we're kinda already in one. A messed up one, but a relationship nonetheless. I know that the cars, trackers, and jobs are all ways of showing me you feel something for me. You don't have to say anything now. I just wanted to tell you how I feel." I turned my head and kissed him gently on the lips. His arms tightened around me. We sat there at least an hour, just holding each other, before he shifted me off him.

"I have to go. Don't go off the radar. Keep in touch. If you need anything while I'm gone, Tank will help." He kissed me. "We'll talk when I get back." He kissed me again. And then he was gone.


	7. Chapter 7

Author Note: Thank you all very much for reading this! I greatly appreciate your reviews, favorites, and follows!

Janet Evanovich owns these characters. I'm just borrowing them.

Time Out

Ch7

After Ranger's late night (some people might call it early morning but those people are nuts) departure, I went back to sleep for a few more hours. I woke up feeling totally refreshed and optimistic. While I did complete my normal scalding hot shower routine, and got my usual coffee and sugar fix, I didn't feel like I really needed it for once. I was ready to start my day. I sent Lester, Tank, and Bobby text messages to see if they'd meet me for lunch at Shorty's. It was short notice and they're busy guys, so I wasn't holding my breath.

I only had four more items on my list, and only two of those could be accomplished here in Trenton. I needed to talk to my Merry Men and buy a new car. I couldn't wait to be rid of Big Blue, but had the thought that maybe I should wait to take possession of my new car until I was ready to drive out of Trenton. Less chance of it being destroyed that way, I hope.

When I talked to Connie, she told me my only new file was Walter "Mooner" Dunphy. That was cool with me, Mooner was always easy money since we're buddies. I went to high school with Mooner and he's usually stoned out of his head. I'd just have to watch a little TVLand with him before taking him down to get re-booked. It would be nice to hang out with him one more time before I left. After I stopped by the bonds office to pick up my paperwork on Mooner, I pointed Big Blue in the direction of Mooner's rowhouse that he shares with Dougie Kruper, another buddy of mine as well as one of my frequent FTAs. Mooner opened the door and welcomed me in a haze of pot smoke. "Dudette! You're just in time for a Gilligan's Island retrospective!"

Two hours later, I was feeling pretty happy from the second hand smoke as I got Mooner rebonded and picked up my body receipt. I only made a hundred bucks, but it was practically free money since Mooner's always cooperative. In the middle of the Gilligan's Island retrospective, Bobby sent me a text back saying the guys would meet me for lunch. I was starving after working hard hanging out with Mooner. By the time I got to Shorty's, the guys were already there and several pizzas were being delivered to the table. My stomach let out a loud rumble as I reached the table. The guys looked up at the noise and grinned when they saw me. "Hey Bomber! You're just in time."

"Hi guys!" I was pleased to see that several of the guys had decided to join Lester, Tank, and Bobby for lunch.

After spending several minutes devouring pizzas, most of us finally took a break to come up for air. Bobby pushed his plate away and shot me a look. "Okay Steph, what's going on? You never invite us for lunch."

"Can't I just want to spend time with my favorite guys without a stalker, crazy, or something else dangerous going on?" I batted my eyes and sent them an innocent little smile. It didn't work. I looked at a sea of blank faced men in black sitting back in their chairs with their arms crossed over their chests. I looked down at my plate and started shredding a leftover pizza crust and sighed. "Okay, here's the deal. I need to do something different with my life. I don't want it to keep going like it's been going." I then laid out my plan to get out of Trenton for awhile. I was getting pretty good at repeating this spiel. When I finished, I looked up. The view hadn't changed. I was still looking at a sea of blank faced men in black sitting back in their chairs with their arms crossed over their chests. I sat there for a few more minutes, before my patience ran out. "Somebody say something!"

Bobby must have been voted designated spokesman for the day. He looked like he was choosing his words carefully. "Are you sure about this? Have you got an actual plan in place along with a backup plan? Do you have an itinerary of where you're going to be and when so we can check out the security for you? Have you thought about how will affect your relationships with people here? Does Ranger know about this?"

Wow, that was a lot of words for Bobby. It was obvious that they were mostly ex-military guys. Bobby's little speech made it sound like I should be setting up a strategic plan for battle or something.

"Sheesh guys, that might be a little much don't you think? I know I tend to fly by the seat of my pants most of the time, but I do actually have a plan. It's not super detailed, but there is a plan. And no, I don't have an actual itinerary in place. I won't need you to check security for me. I won't be doing anything dangerous. Yes, Ranger knows. I told him last night before he left." I sat back and waited again. For some reason it felt like we were negotiating. I watched the guys exchange glances. I had a feeling I was missing a whole conversation here. Damned ESP.

Bobby spoke up again, "Okay. We're cool with this, but we have some things we need for you to do."

I interrupted him, my temper starting to flare a bit. "Hold up here. I'm not asking you guys for permission to do this. I am doing this regardless of what you think. I invited you all to lunch today because I wanted to tell my friends, guys I care about, about my plans to make a better future for myself. I don't need you guys to be acting like my bodyguards or babysitters. Act like my friends and wish me luck on my trip." I could feel my face getting red, and I stood up to leave before I said something I would probably later regret. I threw down enough cash to cover our pizzas. Thankfully I just brought in Mooner. That cash would be just enough to cover our tab. I started to stalk out the front door, when suddenly I was picked up and thrown over someone's shoulder. I didn't know who it was, but they had a tight ass clad in black cargo pants. That describes all the men with whom I just had lunch. I was unceremoniously dumped back in my chair. I pushed back my hair and glared up at the only one of the Merry Men standing. "Lester! What the hell?" I shrieked.

"Beautiful, let Bobby finish."

"Steph, we're all pleased that you consider us your friends. It means a lot to us. But we also can't just wave our hands at you and send you on your merry way. That goes against everything we are. We want you to be safe, as safe as we can make you. None of us would ever forgive ourselves if something happened to you." Bobby then proceeded to lay out some safety measures for me to take.

I countered with what I was willing to do to keep them and me happy. We went back and forth a bit before we finalized negotiations. I would call or email one of the core team every day. I'd send a text message with my location each night. I would carry a tracker that they promised me would not be activated unless I failed to check in. It still felt a little overprotective to me, but it was better than traveling in an armored vehicle with armed bodyguards and multiply live tracking devices placed on my person. Bobby and I shook hands to seal the deal. I laughed and wrapped my arms around his waist in a hug. "I'm gonna miss you guys. This was a hoot!" We trooped out to the parking lot so the guys could get back to work. Every single one of them, even the ones I didn't know as well, came up and gave me a hug and wished me luck.

I had a few happy tears in my eyes as I drove away. I drove a few blocks before deciding to visit a few car lots to look at cars, since I had the afternoon free. I was used to patronizing the lower end used car lots since they were usually all I could afford. This would be the first time I visited car lots with the serious intent of buying a brand new vehicle. It was exciting and scary. I had no plans to purchase anything today. I just wanted to check out my options within the budget I had set. The afternoon flew by as I went from dealership to dealership. I managed to avoid the salesmen and didn't test drive anything. That might have been pushing my luck. My head was swimming with all the options. Import or domestic? Car or SUV? Front wheel drive or all wheel drive? Leather or cloth interior? What color should I get?

Finally I looked at my watch and decided to call it quits. I had just enough time to make it to dinner at my parent's house. While I was there, I could get my dad's opinion on the car thing. Hopefully I'd make his day by asking for his help and hopefully he'd get my choices narrowed down. Decision made, Big Blue and I motored over to the house just in time.


	8. Chapter 8

Author Note: Thanks again for all the new reviews/follows/favorites! It is so gratifying to read your reviews and see how many people are interested enough to follow the story.

The characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I'm just borrowing them.

Time Out

Ch8

The next week passed very quickly. I picked up a few of my regular skips and made a little extra cash before I left. I had lunch and dinner out almost every day, visiting with Mary Lou, Connie, Lula, Lester, Tank, Bobby, Hector, Eddie, Carl and Big Dog, Val and her kids, the list was very long. Despite my repeated declaration that I wasn't leaving forever, everyone seemed to be treating me like I was leaving them forever. It made me feel good to know I had so many people that care about me.

Dad was thrilled that I asked him for help with my car search. I may have created a monster. Before I knew it, he was acting kinda like the Merry Men. He had maps of Trenton with all the car dealerships printed off the computer so we could streamline the car hunt and not waste any time going back and forth. He created lists about the vehicle requirements. He printed brochures off the internet describing vehicles he thought should be in the running. The area around his recliner in the living room looked like a copy machine exploded with all the paper strewn about. My mother was about to tear her hair out because she wasn't allowed to vacuum in the living room just in case she might suck up something important. This was probably the most time I'd spent with my dad in years, if not ever.

The one thing Dad refused to budge on was that I had to buy an American vehicle. He preferred a Buick, but would settle for anything American. I had sort of always envisioned myself in a cute little red convertible sports car. Dad pointed out that a sports car wouldn't be very practical on a road trip. It wouldn't be as safe as an SUV and it wouldn't have the storage capacity since we both knew I wouldn't be able to resist shopping along the way. It wasn't as too hard to give up on the sports car dream. Maybe I've matured. Or maybe my bad car karma has made me appreciate better safety features over cute looks.

Long story short, I ended up with a brand spankin' new Ford Explorer. It had four wheel drive, although I can't imagine ever needing it. It had cruise control for those long days on the road and Bluetooth capabilities so I could talk on the phone safely. It even had heated leather seats and remote start for those bitterly cold days. I was going to be so spoiled! The car salesman had heard of me and worked quickly to get me off his car lot before anything could happen. He even got me a pretty good deal without too much haggling just to get me out of there. He agreed to have the vehicle delivered to my parent's house for no extra charge the morning I was planning to leave. For once, something good came out being the Bombshell Bounty Hunter!

Before I knew it, the day of departure dawned. After I gathered the rest of my belongings that I would either be taking on my trip or storing at my parent's house, I took a last look around my apartment. It was a little bittersweet to be leaving it behind. It had been my home for several years and had some really wonderful memories. It had also been firebombed a couple times, seen its share of violent death, and was broken into innumerable times by crazy people bent on hurting me. So it was with mixed feelings that I locked the door for the final time and left the keys with Dillon. When I returned to Trenton, I'd be looking for a new place to live, one that had much better security, where my safety wouldn't always be in question.

I steered Big Blue in the direction of my parent's house after stopping one last time to purchase a dozen Boston Cremes to start me down the road. My parents, grandma, and Val and her crew were all on hand to help transfer everything into my new Explorer that was waiting at the curb. It was decided that Rex would ride shotgun next to me and Mary Alice carefully fastened the seat belt around his cage. Albert and Dad hefted my suitcases into the back. Dad checked the oil and tire pressure, even though it was a new vehicle, and made sure I had a flashlight and jumper cables. Angie made me a family scrapbook to take with me so I wouldn't forget them. Grandma gave me a box and winked when she told me not to open it until I was down the road a ways. I need not have stopped at Tasty Pastry, because my mother provided me with several large paper grocery sacks filled with food.

Finally, everything was situated and we all just stood there on the sidewalk. I've mentioned how my family isn't real good with emotions. A lot was left unsaid. Angie and Mary Alice wrapped their arms around my waist and told me they would miss me. I considered their hugs and words as coming from everyone in the family, and I hugged them back and told them I would miss them too, knowing that my family would get that my words were directed at them too. Mom clasped my hand, Grandma nudged me with her hip, and Dad clapped me on the shoulder and I waved goodbye and climbed in the SUV. I buckled up and looked over at Rex, asking him if he was ready to go. He was buried in his soup can so I took it to mean he was bored with all this good bye stuff and we should just get on the road. I heeded his advice and pulled away from the curb, ready to face my adventure.


	9. Chapter 9

Janet Evanovich owns most of these characters. I'm just borrowing them.

Time Out

Ch9

I plugged Jacksonville, Illinois into my new onboard navigation system and the annoying little voice told me I would reach my destination in about 15 hours. I planned on breaking the trip into two easy days, thinking maybe I could do a little sightseeing along the way. It was Friday now, and my appointment with Mr. Holmes wasn't until Monday. My plan was to spend the week in Jacksonville, signing the pile of paperwork for the estate and getting the house listed with a realtor. After that, hopefully I would be free to start my travels.

Since I didn't leave Trenton as early as I would have liked, it was late evening by the time I got to Columbus, Ohio. This seemed like a good place to stop. Interstate driving isn't all that exciting. My voice was hoarse from singing along to the radio and my iPod (good radio stations can be so hard to find in the middle of nowhere), my butt was cramped from sitting so long, and I was starving since I couldn't reach those lovely grocery bags Mom provided from the drivers seat.

After checking in at a decent looking chain hotel, I covertly snuck in Rex's cage by way of a duffle bag with a jacket draped over the top. This place had a strict no pets policy and I was too tired to go find another place to stay. I sure as hell wasn't about to leave my hamster roomie in the car alone, overnight, and unprotected. I went back to the car after getting Rex settled and brought in a small bag containing toiletries and a change of clothes and one of Mom's food bags. After feasting on a peanut butter and olive sandwich made with homemade bread and several of Mom's famous oatmeal cookies, I called Lester and told him where I was. I then immediately sent him a text message with the exact same information. It seemed a bit redundant, but far be it from me not to follow the Merry Mens' directives. I quickly got a text message back, "Smart ass. ;) But thx."

I was awake pretty early the next morning, or early for me anyway. Going to bed early last night and sleeping in a strange bed will do that I guess. Since I was up and ready to go, I decided to visit the Columbus Zoo before I continued my trip. I like zoos, but generally a zoo is a zoo. But this zoo has Jack Hanna, the guy who brings the animals on with Leno and Letterman at night. That makes him kinda famous. It turned out to be pretty cool. A few hours later, I had wandered the park and visited the lions, tigers, and bears. It was noon by the time I hit the road again, but I was relaxed and rested. Another boring day of driving, and by late evening I was in Jacksonville.

I exited the interstate and headed into town. Driving down the main drag, I kept my eyes open for a place to stay for the next couple nights. I passed by a bunch of fast food places, which seemed like a lot considering the sign at the edge of town said the place only has about 20,000 people. Finally I pulled into a Hampton Inn and got myself a room. Again, I snuck Rex into the room and went back for my bags of clothes and food. Mom must have baked up a storm before I left, because the majority of the food was dessert consisting of cookies, brownies, cakes, and dessert breads. I felt like I didn't need any more sugar for the night, so I stretched my legs and walked next door to Applebee's. After a decent meal, I did my Merry Man call and text routine again, this time to Bobby. I also called my parents to let them know I arrived safely.

Sunday morning I lazed around the room for a few hours watching TV. I could only stand so much of that before I started feeling like I was caged in the room. I went through the full beauty regimen during and after my shower. That killed another hour. I freshened Rex's water and dropped him some hamster crunchies, put the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door, and hopped in the car to explore the town. It didn't take long. I slowly cruised up and down the streets of the town, finding two four year colleges, a community college, the state school for the deaf, and the state school for the blind. Apparently this town likes their education. There was a super Walmart and a JC Penney's, but no mall. Good thing I won't be spending much time here. I left my paperwork in the room, so I don't have the address for the house, otherwise I would have driven past it just to look. It can wait until after tomorrow's appointment with Mr. Holmes.

I called Tank and chatted for a few minutes, and then followed up with calls to Connie, Lula, Mary Lou, Valerie, and Grandma. By then, I'd been talking so long the phone was hot and the battery almost dead. I plugged it in and walked over to Sonic for a cheeseburger and chocolate shake.

Monday morning finally dawned and I managed to get ready and get to the office a whole fifteen minutes early. I wasn't sure what was considered appropriate attire for signing legal papers, so I decided on a light blue skirt suit with an ivory silk camisole and matching peep toe pumps. The suit had been part of my distraction wardrobe, but I didn't think it was too slutty so I kept it. The camisole kept the jacket from showing too much and the skirt came to about two inches above my knees. I decided to forego stockings since it was pretty warm already. I had my hair loose, in big curls, and I kept the makeup lighter than usual except for my typical several coats of mascara.

When I walked into the law office, I swear you could have heard a pin drop and every eye was on me. I wanted to look down at myself to make sure I wasn't showing something embarrassing except I had done a last minute check before I walked in so I knew there was nothing wrong. I pasted on a smile and gave a nervous little finger wave at the receptionist before telling her my name. She stared at me for a second and then snapped out of it, jumping out of her chair to go knock on a door. I was starting to get the impression I was a little overdressed. The receptionist, who looked about my age, was wearing khaki's, a cotton button down shirt, and sensible flats. The other people in the waiting area were dressed similarly. And when Mr. Holmes opened his door and approached me, he was dressed casually as well in khaki's, scuffed loafers, and a button down shirt sans tie.

"Ms. Plum," he started. "I'm Joe Holmes. We spoke on the phone a few weeks ago."

"It's Steph, or Stephanie, please," I interrupted. "Ms. Plum makes me sound like my mother."

"Well, Steph, come on back to my office and we'll have you sign a bunch of papers. Then maybe I can take you over to Mrs. Price's house and show it to you." Three hours later, my hand had a cramp from writing so much, but we were finished for now. Holmes' phone rang and I stood up and flexed my hand and turned around to give the illusion of a little privacy. When he hung up he got my attention and stated, "That was my daughter's school. She just threw up on herself and three other students so I'm going to have to go pick her up. I'm sorry I won't be able to show you the house this afternoon. I can give you the keys and the address though, if you'd like to go on your own." I cringed and suppressed a gag at the idea of a puking kid. I'll stick with my hamster, thank you very much. I collected the keys and plugged the address into my GPS.

Five minutes later, I was in a neighborhood of stately older homes. For the most part they were very well kept and many of them looked good sized. This was promising. I turned onto a side street also filled with older homes. They were also in mostly decent shape except for one eye sore towards the end of the block. I got a sick feeling in my stomach the closer I got to the eye sore. Sure enough, when I was right in front of it, the GPS lady told me I had arrived at my destination. In desperation, I flipped through my papers, thinking maybe I'd plugged the address in wrong. No such luck. This was it.

The house looked like a set for a horror movie. The windows were all intact, but the shutters were hanging drunkenly, what shutters were still attached to the house anyway. It was supposed to red brick, but it was covered in mostly dead vegetation, maybe ivy? The yard was weedy, overgrown, and the bushes in front were so thick they obscured the front steps. The gutter hung halfway off the house, swaying gently in the breeze. The shutters and eves looked like they hadn't seen a coat of paint in 50 years, and were mostly gray with an occasional curling strip of white paint. I pulled into the rutted drive and parked. This was not good. I pushed my way through the bushes and wrestled with the key. The front door finally gave with a screech and then I was inside.

The inside was a little better. Maybe. Everything was dusty, but looked like it had actually seen some attention in the past 50 years. I wandered through the house peeking in rooms. The place was huge. Each of the rooms upstairs was crammed full of stuff. My aunt was a packrat. This was going to require major work on my part. I can't sell this place like this. I plopped down on a couch with a sigh. Dust rose around me in a cloud. My dreams of an extended road trip were going up in a puff of smoke. Ha. Puff of _dust_ might be more accurate. What am I going to do now?


	10. Chapter 10

Author Note: I love the reviews! Thanks also for the favorites/follows. :)

Janet Evanovich owns most of these characters. I'm just borrowing them.

Time Out

Ch10

I dragged myself off the couch, dusted myself off, locked up the house, and fought my way back through the shrubbery to my SUV. Once back in my hotel room, I stripped off my filthy clothes and flopped down on the bed in just my bra and panties. Spread out in my thinking position, I let my mind drift. I woke awhile later feeling refreshed and I also had a new plan.

The whole purpose of the road trip was to get the hell out of Dodge (or Trenton) for awhile and figure out where I wanted my life to go. There's no reason I couldn't do that here. I was sad to see the road trip part go, but maybe I can still do part of it after I get the house squared away. The house was going to need work before I could sell it. Hopefully it was as structurally sound as it looked and it would just need cosmetic stuff. Aunt Elizabeth was apparently quite the collector, so I would have to go through all her stuff. As much as I wanted to just toss it all, she was family and she made me her sole beneficiary. I feel obligated to go through it all.

Since there were still several hours of daylight left, I decided to get started with something I knew how to do. I pulled on a pair of jeans, an old t-shirt, and a pair of sneakers. I stopped at Home Depot and bought a push mower, weed eater, and some hedge clippers as well as a couple gas cans. Buying an SUV was a good thing. I managed to get it all in the cargo area. I filled the gas cans at a nearby gas station and headed for the house. I was going to do battle with that yard. I started with the front yard since it wasn't as big, so I didn't think it would take as long. A few hours later, I was dripping with sweat and ready to keel over from a heart attack. I really needed to get in shape. This was ridiculous. The grass and weeds were all mowed down to one level now. I weed eated around the house and sidewalk. I trimmed those gargantuan bushes along the front steps so I wouldn't scratch myself up going in the house anymore. Despite my pounding heart, I thought I did a pretty good job. I was glad I'd thought to take a few pictures before I started so I could do the before and after thing. There was a huge improvement already. I was too out of shape to tackle the back yard today, plus it was getting dark. I sat on the front steps, waiting for my heart rate to go down and chugged a bottle of lukewarm water.

I unlocked the front door and wrestled it open with a screech. I was going to have to do something about that door. I made my way to the back of the house, where I'd earlier spied a potentially usable bedroom. There was no sense in continuing to pay for a hotel room if I own a house. I pushed open the door and nodded. It needed to be cleaned, but I could sleep here. I imagine it was Aunt Elizabeth's room. Ground floor room for an old lady who probably couldn't handle stairs too well in her later years. The bedding was dusty and looked a little moth eaten. Considering she passed away a few months ago, the place went down hill fast. Or maybe she couldn't handle the upkeep herself and had no one to look in on her to do it for her. That was a depressing thought. I decided to stop at Walmart to pick up some cleaning supplies and new linens after I checked out of my hotel in the morning.

The next morning, I packed up my belongings and Rex and checked out of the hotel. I drove down Morton Avenue a few blocks until I reached the Super Walmart. I stocked up on a boatload of cleaning supplies, some new linens, and did some grocery shopping as well and cringed as I swiped my credit card at the checkout. Is it ever possible to leave Walmart without spending more than you'd intended? I needed to call Mr. Holmes to see if some of my inheritance money could be released soon to work on the house. My little nest egg from 'The Rug' capture wasn't going to go far on this house.

I called Holmes' office when I got to my house, but was thwarted when his receptionist told me he was still out of the office with his sick daughter. I wasn't going to be able to do much without some money, so my plans to call a contractor got put on hold. I unloaded the back of the Explorer and lugged everything in. I feel like it's officially my house now, since all my clothes are here and Rex is living on the avocado green kitchen counter. I decide to start in the bedroom and move on to the bathroom so I'll be able to sleep somewhere clean and get clean somewhere clean. I managed to pry open some windows in an effort to get some fresh air moving around and broke out my cleaning supplies.

Generally I don't like to clean, but this was probably needed for my continued good health. I took more 'before' pictures before I started. As I stripped the bed, the sheets literally shredded in my hands so I put them straight into a garbage bag. I started emptying the dresser and free standing wardrobe of clothing and shoes. All underwear I tossed immediately. Everything else in the room I sorted through, making two piles for either trash or Goodwill. After that, I took down the curtains, which were in reasonably good condition, and went in search of a washing machine. Finally I found one in the basement. It and the dryer were actually pretty new, so I was confident there wouldn't be some sort of disaster when I fired it up. I tossed in the curtains and some detergent and started the cycle before wandering around the basement. Unlike many older homes, this house had a full basement with a fairly tall ceiling and a cement floor. There wasn't even much junk down here. Maybe I could buy a treadmill and put it down here. There's no way that my yard work yesterday should have kicked my ass. If I start running, that will help. And if I decide to go back to bounty hunting eventually, being in better shape will be a good thing.

Five hours later, my new bedroom was clean and smelled fresh. My new white 400 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets, down pillows, and blue and green quilt were on the bed. The freshly laundered curtains were a little wrinkly, but hanging back up. The all white bathroom was as sparkling as I could make it, considering its age. The claw foot tub looked ancient and needed to be painted or re-glazed or something, but it was usable. I hung my new super fluffy blue towels on the rack and tossed down the matching blue bath mat. It was starting to feel like home, or at least these two rooms.

Once I had some money freed up, I was going to have to have a contractor add another bathroom or three. This place had, unless I miscounted, something like twelve bedrooms, yet only one bathroom. That will not work for anyone. I know what it's like in my parents' house with only three bedrooms and one bathroom. What a nightmare. The bedrooms were also going to have to be rearranged. There were a lot of them, but they were tiny and I didn't see a single closet in any of them. Who's gonna want a house with no closets and bedrooms that might not fit even a double bed?

My new bedroom window overlooked the deep backyard, which was as overgrown as the front yard had been. I decided to finish off my day by trying to tame the weeds and grass back there. I could see a small building, hopefully a garage, but it was too overgrown to get to it. A few hours later, I was feeling even more out of shape than yesterday, but the yard was done. It would need more work of course, but at least it was all one level and I could reach the garage. I had actually accomplished quite a bit today and I felt proud of myself. It was enough for me, and I decided to call it a night after I ate a sandwich and sent my mandatory message to Rangeman.


	11. Chapter 11

Author Note: Thanks for all your wonderful reviews as well as the follows/favorites!

Janet Evanovich owns most of these characters. I'm just borrowing them.

Time Out

Ch11

I woke with a groan the next morning and literally clawed my way out of the pit in the middle of the bed from hell and hobbled to the bathroom. After filling the deep claw foot tub with water as hot as I could stand it, I climbed in and sank down with a hiss. My yard work exercise over the past few days was partly to blame for my soreness, but that bed gets the rest. Even without the hole in the middle, every time I turned over a bed spring would dig into me somewhere. It didn't look that bad yesterday when I put on the new sheets. I won't be sleeping on it again. As soon as I could stand upright, I'd be shopping for a new mattress.

Once my muscles relaxed and I could stand up straight, I finished getting ready and drove off in search of a bed. I decided to start my search on Morton Avenue, where most of the businesses seemed to be located. I found a furniture store pretty quickly, and plunked down two hundred bucks on a new queen mattress set. I flirted and begged the salesman to get the set delivered today instead of tomorrow like he originally told me. He informed me I would have to be home to accept the delivery and the truck should arrive anytime between noon and 6:00. Since I'd be hanging around all day, I decided that more cleaning was on the agenda. I stopped back at the Home Depot and picked up a can of WD40, hoping it would work its magic on the front door issues. If it didn't, I'd be out of luck because I know nothing about repairing stuff.

As I stepped out of the Explorer when I got home, I surveyed my handiwork from the past few days. I wasn't going to win any landscaper of the year awards, that was for sure. The best you could say about the lawn was that it was all one level. My weed eating left big gouges in the dirt, but at least all the weeds were knocked down around the house and sidewalk. My hedge clipping left the big bushes in front of the house distinctly lopsided but you could see the door now. I'm kinda impressed I accomplished what I did. It'd been years since I helped Dad with yard work. I used half the can of WD40 on the front door hinges and the door actually seemed to open easier afterwards. Maybe my home improvement skills weren't as bad as I thought. I thought it interesting that I was already calling this place home. Maybe there's something to the whole, 'home is where your stuff is' thing.

I spent the rest of the morning and all afternoon cleaning. I swept the front porch and scrubbed the large foyer and main downstairs hall. I cleaned the kitchen completely, including inside the cabinets, fridge, and stove. I noticed Aunt Elizabeth didn't have a microwave, so that would be one of my next purchases. Even I couldn't eat peanut butter all the time and my cooking skills are non-existant so using the stove or oven wasn't an option. I had no desire to set fire to my new house. The kitchen probably hadn't been updated since the sixties going by the appliances and finishes, but it was clean now. Rex kept to himself while I cleaned the kitchen, but he was probably glad to have a cleaner environment too.

At 5:55, the delivery guys finally showed up. As they hauled out the old mattress set, one of the guys commented that they hadn't seen a bed that bad in a long time. I waved them on their way and ran down the hall to my room and flopped on the new bed. Ahhh. This would be much better, I could tell already. Rather than succumb to the lure of a nap on my comfy bed, I decided to take advantage of the warm late spring evening by continuing my new exercise trend of the past few evenings and take a walk to scope out the neighborhood.

When I returned home, I fixed myself a ham sandwich, tore off a piece of crust to give Rex, and popped the top off a Corona. I made my way to the back porch and sat on a rusted metal lawn chair to finish my sandwich and drink my beer while surveying my domain. I felt like I'd accomplished quite a bit in the past few days, but really it was just a drop in the bucket. All that cleaning and I'd only finished about a quarter of the downstairs. I still had all those jam packed rooms on the second floor, as well as a third floor attic that I had yet to see. I called Mom to get some moral support. I don't how she does the whole housewife thing, but she is definitely good at it. Mom was thrilled to hear from me and I filled her in on everything. As I moaned about the state of the house, she got quiet. "Did you bite off more than you can chew, dear?" she asked. "Are you giving up already?"

She knows I'm not, but that was what I needed to hear. I puffed up and replied, "Of course not, Mom. My road trip plan went out the window, but I'm gonna finish this house if it kills me. It's just really overwhelming how much needs to be done, and I'm having trouble just with the cleaning. I haven't even gotten to sorting out Aunt Elizabeth's huge collection of stuff and I have to do that before any remodeling can be done. I know you wouldn't have any trouble with this, but this is out of my comfort zone so I just called to vent."

"Stephanie, I'm proud of you that you're doing this. You'll get through it all. God knows you're stubborn enough not to give up if you want it bad enough." Even though Mom could drive me nuts most of the time, she's still my Mom and knows what to say to make me feel better. We said our goodbyes and I fell asleep thinking up a plan to get this house done while still achieving my objective of figuring out my life.

The rest of the week settled into a routine. I started jogging in the mornings for half an hour. I wasn't going for speed or distance yet, just working at getting my heart rate up. I spent the days cleaning. It took me the rest of the week just to finish the ground floor. I talked to Mr. Holmes' receptionist again and apparently his daughter gave him the flu so he was still out. She swore up and down that as soon as he wasn't puking his guts out all the time, she'd have him call me. I spent time on the phone talking to various of the Merry Men as well as Connie, Lula, and Mary Lou to get the low down on everything going on back in Trenton. I even joined the local YMCA and started in a beginners tae kwan do class with a bunch of little kids as well as a kickboxing class that was thankfully for adults.

By Monday, I'd been in the house a week and felt like I was making a little progress with the house and a little progress on my life. That evening, I was startled when I heard knocking at the door. I still didn't really know anyone here. I'd exchanged a few waves with some of the neighbors, but had never spoken with any of them. It was kinda late in the day for Mr. Holmes to stop by to discuss the estate and as far as I knew, he was still sick. I opened the door and my jaw dropped when I saw Mom and Grandma Mazur standing on the porch.

"Howdy baby granddaughter! Are you just gonna stand there or do we get to come in?"

"Uh, sure. Come on in. Let me help you with those bags, " I mumbled. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Stephanie, is that any way to greet your mother and grandmother after they've traveled all this way to see you?" asked Mom, always on the proper manners thing.

"Sorry Mom. Sorry Grandma. I really am glad to see you, I'm just really surprised! I didn't know you were coming. How did you get here?"

My grandma broke in, "It's been a pip of a trip. We flew into St. Louis and then rented a car and drove almost two hours to get here. I tried to get your mother to rent that cute little red Mustang convertible, but she had to be a real stick in the mud and rented a boring Malibu instead. What a day. I'll be ready for bed tonight!" This started me panicking about sleeping arrangements. Not that I wasn't glad to see them, but I'd have to give up my nice, comfy new bed to Mom and Grandma. I guess I'd have to sleep on the lumpy old camelback sofa with the horse hair cushions. Ugh.

"Grandma, let's go get you and Mom settled in my room. I'll sleep on the couch."

"You mean to tell me there aren't any other beds in this big ol' house? I woulda thought my sister would have more beds than that."

"Well, there are more beds, but they aren't really sleepable. Do you want the tour tonight or can it wait til the morning?"

Mom said she just wanted a little something to eat before bed, and Grandma agreed. I led them into the kitchen and offered to make them sandwiches. For once, Mom didn't harp on my lack of cooking abilities, and let me make her and Grandma ham sandwiches with Oreo cookies for dessert. After Grandma announced she was hitting the sheets, Mom stayed behind in the kitchen to help me clean up.

"After our talk last week, I got to thinking. You need some help with this house and your Grandma caused another uproar at the funeral parlor last week. I thought this would be a good time for us to come visit you and help out. Kind of like a working vacation. Your father will be alright on his own for awhile, and Val can bring him some meals if he needs them. I hope you don't mind us just showing up, but we wanted to surprise you."

I gave her a quick hug. "I'm so glad to see you both. The help will be great, but you just being here for moral support will be awesome. Go get some sleep, you have to be exhausted after traveling with Grandma all day! I'll give you the tour in the morning." We said our good nights and as I lay on my made up bed on the scratchy, lumpy sofa, I reflected on my surprise visit. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed my family over the past week until I saw them. I've gone longer in between visits of course, but so much has happened that it seemed like longer since I'd last seen them. It would be good to have their input on the house. With that thought, I drifted off to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

Janet Evanovich owns most of these characters. I'm just borrowing them.

Time Out

Ch12

After our tour the next morning, Mom and Grandma were silent for a bit. Finally Mom spoke up, "you weren't exaggerating were you? This place is a lot of work. I thought maybe we'd get here and find out it wasn't that bad and we'd just visit a few days and head home. Looks like we have our work cut out for us."

"Gee thanks Mom. Underestimate me much?" I asked as I rolled my eyes. God forbid my mom go too long without unintentionally putting me down. I know she doesn't mean it, but it's still annoying.

"Enough with the sarcasm young lady. I acknowledged my error so there's no need to get snippy."

"Okay then, oh Expert of the Domestic Arts, where do you want to start?"

Grandma immediately suggested, "Windows. These windows are filthy. Clean windows will look better from the street. Then we'll start on the ground floor and work our way up. We got to have ourselves a real plan of action with this place. I don't know what my sister was thinking, letting it get like this."

"Grandma, two things. First, will anyone even notice clean windows when the shutters are falling off, the paint is peeling, and the gutter is hanging halfway off the house? Second, Aunt Elizabeth was 90 years old! I don't think she had anyone here to help her and we don't know what her health was like at the end so I don't think you can blame her." I was surprised. Usually its my mother who makes digs about the cleanliness of windows and the state of someone's home.

"Hunh, well she could have hired someone or contacted her family to let them know she needed help. She knew enough about us to make you her beneficiary. She could have called."

Mom and I exchanged worried glances. I think Grandma has some unresolved feelings about her long lost sister. Great. My generally happy-go-lucky grandma is probably going to have to be handled with kid gloves until Mom and I can figure out how to help her deal with this. Neither Mom nor I are very good at resolving emotional issues, so it might be hard to help Grandma deal with this.

The next few days were spent cleaning the downstairs windows and re-cleaning the ground floor that I'd already been over once. It did look better after Mom got a hold of it. She gave me all kinds of tips to do a better job, without making me feel like too much of an idiot. The rest of the windows would have to wait until some stuff was cleared out upstairs. We couldn't even reach them to clean. In the evenings, since Mom was on "vacation" and none of us wanted to eat sandwiches all the time, we tried out different restaurants in town. There wasn't anything too fancy here so we didn't have to get too dressed up or fork over a bunch of money for a meal. All three of us decided Leo's had the best pizza in town and The Donut Place was pretty good, although it couldn't compare to the Tasty Pastry. After dinner, the three of us would take a stroll around the neighborhood, walking slowly so that Grandma could safely keep up. I was still jogging in the mornings, so the stroll was more of a social thing which was nice.

Finally my mother bravely suggested we tackle the junk upstairs. We all took a deep breath and peered up the steps. This was going to be a bitch of a job to tackle and it was reaching the edge of Mom and Grandma's expertise. As we opened all the doors on the second floor, it dawned on me that maybe there was a method to Aunt Elizabeth's madness, and I was just now noticing it. "Do you notice anything Mom and Grandma?"

"I notice lots of crap. Is that what you mean, Steph?" Geez, Grandma was still being a pill.

"Not exactly. Each room kind of has a theme. This room on the right is stacked almost entirely with rolled up rugs. The room next to it has a bunch of bed frames in it. The one across the hall looks like it's filled with artwork and nicknacks. See what I mean?"

"Maybe this will make things easier," Mom replied gamely.

I moved into the "art" room and lifted a few pieces up to see them better. I turned over a few more and then ran downstairs for a flashlight. I took the stairs two at a time coming back up and was only slightly winded when I returned. Maybe that jogging was paying off already. I shined the flashlight on one of the paintings to get a better view. Mom asked over my shoulder, "What are you seeing Stephanie?"

"I don't know what this is. Aunt Elizabeth really liked her art, since she had a lot of it, although she didn't display much. I don't know much about art, but these are signed by artists even I recognize. These are paintings, not prints. Surely these wouldn't be originals, right? I mean, who would store a Picasso or a Rembrandt on the floor in a room that isn't climate controlled? Even I know better than that. These have to be fakes, right?"

"Well, until we figure that out, maybe we should leave this room alone. Why don't we try another of the rooms. Lord knows there are plenty to choose from."

Grandma wandered away and we heard her voice across the hall, "Let's get some of these bed frames sorted out. Then maybe we can get Steph off the couch and into a bed." That sounded like a fantastic idea to me, so Mom and I helped Grandma disentangle and separate different parts of various beds. They all had headboards and footboards and ornate side rails, but they weren't stacked together in sets. We dragged various pieces around until it looked like everything was in the group it belonged to. We wiped them down with soft cloths coated in Mom's special furniture cleaner as we sorted them out. By the time we finished, there were a dozen separate beds. They'd all need to be assembled and new mattresses, but it was a start.

Mom hesitated, then spoke. "I'm not an expert on antiques by any means, but these look like some really nice pieces Stephanie. Some of them look very old, but still in excellent condition, and the carving is wonderful. Maybe you should have an appraiser come in here and take a look around. Aunt Elizabeth may not have had 'junk' like we were thinking. She may have been a real collector." It was kind of looking that way. I took pictures of each of the beds and went back across the hall and snapped photos of some of the paintings. I didn't bother with taking pictures of anything else right then. If it turned out there was value in the paintings or furniture, then we'd know it was likely everything else had value as well.

Since I didn't have cable or internet hooked up yet in the house, all three of us hopped in my Explorer and headed for a coffee shop up on the square that offered Wi-Fi. We ordered our coffees and a variety of pastries while I got my laptop turned on and connected to my camera. Grandma told me I should surf some of those big auction house websites first to see if we saw anything similar to what was in the house. We did see some similar pieces, so I composed an email to send to the auction house with some photos attached, asking for an appraisal and giving my contact information and general location.

The next morning, my phone rang, showing an unfamiliar number. The woman on the other end identified herself as an appraiser with the big auction house we had contacted the night before. She was in the area doing work for another client and she had some time. Could she stop by and check out what we had? I agreed and gave her directions to the house and we set up a time for late afternoon to give her time finish her current project and drive the hour and a half to get here.

By the time our appraiser, Annie, had finished her initial walk through upstairs she was practically giddy. Annie was like a kid in a candy shop as she bounced from one room to the next, oohing and aahing. Finally she managed to break herself away and came over to where we were sitting on the steps, waiting for her to finish. "I love my job!" she chirped happily. "Stephanie, I don't think you realize what you've got here. I think we'll need a team in here to do the job right, but in my opinion, you're sitting on a treasure trove of items here. I'm more of an expert on the furniture as opposed to the art, but the art looks promising. If it's real, it'll bring way more than the furniture, although the furniture is phenomenal. I can't give you a dollar amount right now without spending more time here and unfortunately I have to return to New York tomorrow morning. Can I talk to my people and get back to you about setting something up for us to come back out here?"

I agreed but said, "I may not want to sell all of it. I may decide to keep some things in our family, to remember Aunt Elizabeth. Will that be a problem?" She assured me that it wouldn't be and after exchanging more information, she went on her way.

As we took our evening stroll, Mom, Grandma, and I talked about the day. "I guess my sister did have pretty good taste. There's some really fancy stuff in that house. I just wish I could have known her, instead of just seeing her stuff," Grandma mused.

"We'll pick out some things to keep, Grandma. I know it isn't the same, but wouldn't it be nice to have something you know belonged to her?" Grandma nodded and stayed silent the rest of the way home.

As we approached the house, I stopped in my tracks. "Oh shit!"

"What's wrong Stephanie?" Mom asked.

I guess I've been hanging out with the Rangeman crew too long because the next words out of my mouth were, "this house is just begging to get robbed. It's a security nightmare, especially now that I know what it holds inside!" I knew just who I'd be calling first thing in the morning.


	13. Chapter 13

Janet Evanovich owns most of these characters. I'm just borrowing them

Time Out

Ch13

The next morning, things started to really come together. After I rolled off the couch and stretched out the kinks, I set off on my morning jog. After a week, I was able to pick up the pace quite a bit, although I was still going on time and not distance. I showered off the sweat and dressed for the day. Just as I headed to the kitchen for breakfast, my phone rang. Mr. Holmes was on the other end and he sounded like death warmed over. He apologized profusely for being out of touch for so long. Apparently his wife was out of the country on business and he was left to care for his sick daughter and then his sick self while she was gone. He assured me he could get the paperwork fast tracked and that I could gain access to some of the money in just a few days. Holmes told me he wished he could have taken me to see the house first because he knew I would be overwhelmed when I saw it. After apologizing again, he promised to call me in a couple days when the papers were filed with the court.

I filled in Mom and Grandma when I got to the kitchen. We all sat around the table eating Frosted Flakes and drinking coffee. I think Mom is digging this no cooking thing. When I mentioned calling Rangeman to get their opinion on security options for the house, Mom made her first objection of the day. "Are sure it's a good idea to let those men know anything about this house? Joseph Morelli called them thugs and I don't want you to get robbed."

This was not the first time I'd heard this from her. I fought the urge to lose my temper and replied, "Mom, they are not thugs. Joe told you that because he was jealous. Most of these guys are ex-military and very highly trained. Rangeman gives them a chance to use their skills and make good money after they leave the military. The ones that aren't military have skills that the company can use to their benefit. I won't lie. A few of them have criminal records. But doesn't it say something about them that they chose to turn their lives around and use their skills for good? Hector was a gangbanger, very skilled in breaking and entering. He is a computer genius. Instead of hurting people and stealing stuff, now he uses his abilities to design systems to keep others out. Not to mention, they all like me because I treat them like normal guys and they don't scare me. I'm their friend, and they would never do anything to hurt me."

Mom was quiet after my impassioned little speech. "Stephanie, one of the things I admire about you is your ability to see the good in everyone. I admit that I don't always have that ability. I'll trust your judgment on this." Wow. Maybe getting Mom out the 'Burg for awhile is the trick to making her see good sense. I hope she doesn't revert back to her old ways after she goes home.

I called Tank and put him on speaker phone so Mom and Grandma could listen in silently. I filled him in on everything that had been happening since I left. I don't think he was too happy with me that I'd left out the whole inheritance thing when I talked to them before I left. "Bomber, I wish you'd told us the whole story before you left. We could have done research to make sure you weren't being taken advantage of in anyway. Money makes some people do stupid shit. We want to keep you safe and we can't do that if you leave us out of the loop. Let me get with the guys and come up with a plan to secure your house. I'll get back to you." There was no good-bye. I love these guys, but their phone manners leave a lot to be desired.

"I think you're right Stephanie. That Mr. Tank does seem to care about you. It is nice to know you have people watching out for you." Go Mom!

Grandma showed signs of her usual self when she added, "It doesn't hurt that they're all hotties with excellent packages. If I were ten years younger, I'd give them a run for their money!" Eww. I didn't want to think about that.

Mom helped me carry down all the pieces to one of the beds we'd cleaned up yesterday. We set it up in a small room at the back of the house on the ground floor. I don't think it was meant to be a bedroom, but I have no idea as to its original purpose, maybe a small sitting room or office? I talked her into helping me bring down another set and putting it in another empty mystery room, so that she wouldn't have to share a bed with Grandma anymore since Grandma snores like a freight train. It didn't take much to convince Mom. Tank called me back in the middle of this project and informed me he was sending out a couple guys to check the place out. He didn't say who or when, and didn't even ask for the address. I guess he'd figure it out.

I loaded Mom and Grandma up into the Explorer and we returned to the furniture store where I bought the first mattress. After purchasing two more mattress sets and getting a delivery window for the next day, we stopped at Walmart to buy a much needed microwave. I made an executive decision to take a break from the house, and pointed the car towards Springfield, the state capitol and closest city with a mall. We spent the half hour drive chatting and laughing, something I don't ever remember doing with my mom. I was thrilled to see a Macy's, my go-to store, and we wandered around the mall browsing the shops. I picked up a few things in Victoria's Secret and convinced Mom she needed some pretty undies. Grandma bought a leopard print thong that had Mom and I both cringing. After a totally un-nutritious meal at the food court, we stood in front of a nail salon where Grandma wanted us all to get manicures. Mom was holding out, saying it would just get ruined by our work in the house. I suggested a compromise and we all went in for pedicures.

We stopped at a Redbox when we got back to Jacksonville to rent a movie to watch on my laptop since there was no cable. I stopped in the grocery store and bought popcorn since I now had a microwave and a bottle of wine. All three of us kicked back on the couch and watched a sappy chick flick Mom had wanted to see while we ate our popcorn and sipped a few glasses of wine. It was a perfect ending to a surprisingly enjoyable day.


	14. Chapter 14

Author Note: Thank you for all your reviews and feedback! I'm also loving the number of follows/favorites. This chapter is way longer than usual, in respone to those of you who asked for longer chapters. I would normally have broken it into two, but decided to go with one long one. Hope it flows okay.

Janet Evanovich owns most of these characters. I'm just borrowing them.

Time Out

Ch14

Over the next few days, we cleaned out the basement of junk (and it really was junk) and tackled the attic which was surprisingly almost empty. We scrubbed down the second floor hallway but left the bedrooms alone since they were full. None of us saw the point in trying to move stuff around to clean until after the appraisal team came through. The way Aunt Elizabeth had her treasures "organized" would let each expert go to their own room to do their thing. I was enjoying sleeping on a real bed again, and Mom pulled me aside to thank me for getting her out of sharing a bed with Grandma, aka "Chainsaw Edna", as Mom actually called her. While we were cleaning over the past several days, we had put a bunch of stuff aside in a pile to go through later, so we started on that project next.

A lot of it seemed to be old electric bills and bank statements from as far back as thirty years ago. After digging a little farther down, however, I hit the jackpot. "Holy shit, look at this!"

"Language, young lady."

"Sorry, Mom. Aunt Elizabeth wrote diaries. It doesn't look like she wrote down every little thing, but I bet there's some interesting stuff in here. Grandma, do you want to be in charge of reading them first?" Grandma looked pleased that I asked her. My thought was that Elizabeth was her sister, and maybe it would help her get some closure or something to resolve her current feelings. It would also keep her busy for awhile since I'd found four full journals.

"Sure thing. That's something I can do. Maybe I'll find out all her dirty secrets. I'll just go get me one of them cold Coronas and kick back on the back porch while I read this." Mom and I shared an eye roll as she took off for the kitchen.

"Stephanie, look at this folder. I think this will help that appraisal team," Mom said as she handed me a bulging manila folder that was falling apart. Opening it, I saw stacks of receipts and little notes. On closer inspection, the receipts were for artwork and other things Elizabeth had purchased over the years. The little notes were individual notes describing when and where and why she bought each piece. They said things like, "I bought this painting because it reminded me of when Mr. Price and I were on our honeymoon in Paris." Mom was right, this should be a gold mine for the appraisal team. Grandma might get a kick out of reading the little notes as well.

A knock at the door interrupted our trip down memory lane. I opened the door to see two very familiar faces. "Lester!" I yelped as I launched myself at him. He swung me around and set me down gently. I turned to hug the other man next, "Hola Hector!"

Hector smiled back. "Hola chica!"

"Come in, come in! Do you want me to help you carry anything?"

"We got it, Beautiful, but thanks." Lester picked up a couple of duffle bags while Hector had some metal boxes under each arm.

I turned around to lead them into the house and almost bumped into Mom who was standing right behind me with a look of uncertainty on her face. "Mom," I said as I hooked an arm around each Merry Man, "I'd like you to meet Lester and Hector, two of Rangeman's finest."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," she said with her best 'Burg manners. "Please come in so we can get you settled."

"Thanks Mrs. Plum, it's nice to meet you as well," Lester replied with his most roguish grin. I rolled my eyes. Les can't resist trying to charm every woman he meets. Hector just nodded his head.

"Come on into the kitchen until we figure out where to put you guys. I'll let Grandma know you're here."

"Your granny's here too?" Lester's smile dropped. "Can you get her to leave us alone? Please, Beautiful?"

"They know your grandmother?" Mom asked.

"Yep, I think most of the guys have had 'Grandma Duty' at one time or another. Usually it's an attempt to protect the deceased at viewings."

Mom crossed herself and shivered. "I don't understand that woman sometimes."

"Well I don't understand you either Helen. How did such a stick in the mud come from me?" Grandma replied as she came in the back door. "Hey there Lester! How're they hangin'? You wanna share a room with me?" Lester's normally caramel colored skin turned white as he maneuvered himself behind me.

"Don't worry, Les. Mom can share with Grandma. You and Hector can have the other two beds and I'll go back to the couch." I showed the guys to their rooms and then gave them the grand tour. I told them about the appraisal team and how I'd be hiring a contractor soon to do some remodeling. Les nodded and then he and Hector started discussing something in Spanish. Hector was taking notes and they wandered off pointing at various things.

"Stephanie, that Mr. Hector looks scary. Are you sure about him? He hasn't said a single word to me."

"Hector doesn't speak English, Mom. He could do the installation on his own, but Les probably came mainly to translate. Hector is one of those guys I was talking about before, Mom. He's turned his life around and he does good work for Rangeman."

"You better believe it Mrs. Plum. Hector is the best at what he does," Lester confirmed from behind me. I guess they'd finished their conversation.

"So what's the verdict?" I asked.

"You were right, Beautiful. This place is a security nightmare. Luckily Hector is a would be thief's worst nightmare. He'll get you all hooked up, and it'll be easy to move around during the remodeling. Since you're so far away from a Rangeman office, you're getting a slightly different set up because we can't actually respond to any alarms. I'll fill you in on the details later."

All five of us went out for dinner to a place called Mugsy's and conversation flowed easily as we enjoyed our meal. Mom picked Les' brain about Rangeman and the security business in general. I think she was surprised to find how reputable Rangeman was, even after my little speech the other day. I felt bad that Hector was mostly left out of the conversation, but he didn't seem to mind too much. I wished I knew Spanish so we could talk. Maybe I could fix that. I was probably going to be in Jacksonville for a while and the town had three colleges. Maybe I should sign up for a Spanish class. Learning Spanish would be a good thing for whatever happens in my future.

After dinner, Mom and Grandma and I went for our evening stroll while the guys settled in. Mom mentioned that she thought it was time she and Grandma went home. They'd been here over a week and there wasn't much more that they could help with. "I wanted to wait until your Rangeman young men got here to make sure you'd be safe in this house. Now that they're here, it's time we headed home. Lord knows what state my house is in since your father has been home alone all this time."

That night, after everyone else had gone to bed, Lester came out and sat in the chair next to my uncomfortable couch bed. "So how's it really going, Beautiful?"

"It's going pretty good, Les. I've gotten along better with my mom this week than I have in years. I'm feeling more confident in general and I've only been away from Trenton a few weeks. This wasn't what I'd originally planned for, but I can make it work. I know I'll be tied to the house for awhile, so I think I may try to take a Spanish class while I'm here and some self-defense courses. I don't know if I'll stick to bounty hunting or not, but it doesn't hurt to learn."

"After you talked to Tank, we did some research into your inheritance. Do you want to know?"

"Of course! What'd you find?"

"Your aunt's money came from her husband. He was quite a bit older than her, but still relatively young when he died. They didn't have any kids, and he left her everything when he died. This pissed off his family greatly and they gave her a hard time. She spent a lot of her time traveling, and never remarried. Your attorney, Holmes, is married to one Price's great nieces. Apparently Mrs. Holmes made a huge stink when she found out you were the beneficiary and not her or anyone else in the Price family. Holmes is probably sweating it at home right now since he's kinda working for you."

Oh that sucked, but it made a bit of sense. I told Les about the reaction I got when I walked into the law firm. "They probably had all heard about the drama and were just checking out the gold digger from Jersey. Jeez."  
I then asked him if he'd go with me to my appointment with Holmes in the morning.

"Sure thing beautiful. Now get some rest if you can on this couch. You're always welcome to come share my bed," he leered suggestively. I laughed and threw a pillow at him and he left the room with a fake wounded look on his face.

The next morning, I woke up earlier than anyone else thanks to the couch from hell and went for my daily jog. When I returned, dripping with sweat, I was met with dumbfounded looks on the faces of Les and Hector. "Chica?" Hector questioned.

"What?" I was confused.

"Beautiful, did you just voluntarily exercise?"

I smirked, "Why yes, I did. I've been jogging every morning since I moved in here. It's all part of my plan."

"The guys will never believe it when I tell them. Can we run with you tomorrow?"

I gulped. I knew there was no way I could keep up with them. "Uh, if you want. I think you'll leave me in the dust though." I explained how I didn't know how far I was running, I was just trying to get my heart rate up for a certain period of time and gradually extending the time.

Les nodded and replied that he and Hector would go with me and if they needed to go farther they would after I was done. That seemed like a good solution to me. Mom came in and announced that she just spoke with the airline and she and Grandma would be returning to Trenton tomorrow. They'd have to leave to go to the airport first thing in the morning.

I took my turn in the bathroom and went through my full beauty ritual for the first time since the last time I visited Holmes' office. In the shower I shaved, exfoliated, shampooed, and conditioned before climbing out of the tub to moisturize, style my hair, and apply full makeup. In lieu of a suit, like last time, I chose to wear a simple khaki skirt that stopped just above my knees and a pretty floral print blouse. I skipped the FMPs this time and slipped on a pair of ballet flats. Maybe I wouldn't look so out of place now.

Les met me at the front door wearing all black, of course. We climbed into my Explorer and headed for the law firm. During our five minute drive, Les asked me what role I wanted him to play. "I don't want you to be the big, badass, silent bodyguard guy. I don't think that'll go over well here. But other than that, I don't know. Just play it by ear maybe?" He nodded as I pulled into the parking lot. When we entered, it was like deja vu. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared, just like last time. Apparently my wardrobe wasn't the issue. Or maybe it was the huge, muscular, good looking guy dressed all in black next to me. Either way, the receptionist finally broke the silence by saying, "I'll let Mr. Holmes know you're here, Ms. Plum."

Les and I were ushered into Holmes' office and we each sat down. I signed a bunch more papers and Holmes told me I finally had access to some of the money. The rest was tied up in stocks, so it would take awhile to get it if I wanted it. I told him to leave it for now. Les spoke for the first time, "Your wife is related to the Price family. I understand there were some unhappy people when the will was read. Does Stephanie need to be concerned, Holmes?" Les had a slightly threatening look on his face as he spoke.

"No, no of course not. My wife was disappointed of course, but there isn't anything she could do about it. She put up a bit of a fuss and most of the town has probably heard about it, but there's nothing the Price family can do to take this money away from Stephanie." Holmes was so earnest. He actually kind of reminded me of Albert Kloughn, only more competent. I asked him about contractors and he gave me the names of some of the more well-known companies in town. I asked about building permits and he gave me directions to the city office.

Les and I headed back home after that. "Do I need to be worried?" I asked him. "I really didn't get a bad vibe off this guy and you know my spidey sense usually warns me if someone is bad news."

"I think he's alright," Les replied. "He actually kind of reminds me of your brother in law, Kloughn." I burst out laughing. "What?" he asked.

"I was thinking the same thing while we were sitting there. Only, Holmes seems more competent than Kloughn." Les chuckled in agreement.

Les and Hector spent the rest of the day configuring my new security system. They ended up driving to Springfield to pick up some pieces that Hector didn't have on hand. Apparently I was getting a custom system. Mom and I puttered around the house while Grandma was engrossed in the diaries on the back porch. "I don't think I'll finish these before we leave tomorrow. It's a real shame, too. My sister had some real adventures!"

I made a quick decision and replied, "Take them with you, Grandma. I know you'll keep them safe, and I'll have plenty to do here to keep me busy. I'll read them another time. After I read them, maybe you'd like to keep them?"

"That'd be real nice, Steph. Thanks."

The next morning, I helped Mom load their bags into the rental Malibu while Grandma clutched Elizabeth's diaries. Mom gave me a quick hug and said, "Thank you Stephanie. I haven't had this much fun in years. Even though we did a lot of work, it was still a fun vacation."

Grandma gave me a one armed hug, her other arm still holding the diaries which she seemed reluctant to put down. "Thank you baby granddaughter. I know I haven't been my usual self and haven't done my part to keep this party livened up. I'm glad you're letting me hang on to my sister's journals. It means a lot to be able to learn about part of her life." I waved goodbye as they drove off and headed back in the house.

Les and Hector were wearing running shorts and shoes, standing in the hall. I groaned to myself. They were going to kill me on this run, I just knew it. Thirty minutes later I was gasping for air, trying not to throw up. Les and Hector were running in place on the sidewalk in front of the house. "We have another five miles to go. You sure you don't want to go with us?" Les quipped. I waved them off with my middle finger and headed into the house.

Later, Hector was finishing up the installation and Les came down to chat. "You did well this morning, Steph. You're making an effort and it shows. I'm proud of you that you're taking the initiative on this. I can tell you're already in better shape than when you left." I smiled and leaned into him.

"Thanks Les. I just want to be good at what I do, whatever that may be. Right now I'm running more for the health benefits, but maybe in the future it'll help out when chasing skips, if I decide to go back to that."

"Hector and I should be wrapping this up today. We'll be leaving you tomorrow morning. The office is a little short handed with Ranger, Hector, and I all being gone so we need to head back."

"Have you heard from him?"

"Ranger?" I nodded. "No, but you know how it is. He hasn't been gone very long."

"I'm going to tell you something, but you need to keep it to yourself, okay?" Les nodded. "I mean it."

"Beautiful, you can trust me. I won't say anything."

"I told Ranger before he left that I loved him."

"And his reply?"

"That we'd talk about it when he got back. Do you think I screwed up?"

"Beautiful, you both should have gotten your heads out of your asses years ago. I don't think you screwed up by telling him, and I hope he won't fuck it up when he gets home."

"Thanks, Les. You're a good friend."

"Of course I am," he replied with a cocky grin. I rolled my eyes and smacked him on the arm.

We went to a place called the Brickhouse BBQ for dinner that night. It was pretty tasty and we decided to walk over to The Frozen Penguin afterwards for frozen yogurt. Yum.

The next morning, I was again standing in the driveway helping load luggage. Hector had already given me instructions on my security system and it was something I think I can handle pretty easily. Both of them gave me big hugs before they took off, with Les saying, "Don't be a stranger, Beautiful. Call me more often." I agreed and off they went. The house seemed so quiet with everyone gone. Now that all my surprise guests were gone, I had things to accomplish.


	15. Chapter 15

Janet Evanovich owns most of these characters. I'm just borrowing them.

Time Out

Ch15

After Lester and Hector left, I spent the day doing laundry, washing a few loads of sheets and towels, and then remaking the beds. I cleaned up the main living areas downstairs, but it didn't take long since Mom had made sure we did a very thorough job. Although I missed having company, it was nice to be alone again. I now had three beds, but decided to go back to my original room.

I visited the community college and signed up for a summer school course in beginning Spanish that started a few days after I enrolled. My morning jogs turned into morning runs as I began to push myself to run faster and farther. I restarted my Tae Kwan Do and kickboxing classes at the YMCA that I dropped out of when Mom and Grandma showed up on my doorstep. I got cable and internet hooked up at the house. I called a few contractors to get bids on the remodel. Annie, the appraiser, called from New York to set a date for her team to come out and do their thing. Things were moving right along in my world.

One morning after my run, I spotted my next door neighbor outside, doing something with her flowers. She gave me a wave, which I returned. I stopped in front of her house and walked up the sidewalk. "Hi, I'm Stephanie. I have the house next door. We've exchanged waves a few times, but I thought I'd introduce myself this time."

"It's nice to meet you, dear. My name is Doris. Did you buy Elizabeth's house?"

"No, I inherited it. Elizabeth was my great aunt. You probably saw the two women who were here last week. One of them was my mother, and other was my grandmother, Elizabeth's sister."

"Oh, I didn't realize she had any family left. She never mentioned anyone."

"I didn't even know she existed until very recently. According to Grandma, who was quite a bit younger than her sister, Elizabeth and their father had a serious falling out and he basically disowned her. Grandma never heard from her again. It's been difficult for her to deal with."

"What a sad story. I think Elizabeth was quite lonely in her later years. She was older than me, but we visited quite a lot. Would you like to come in for something to drink? You look warm."

I laughed out loud. "Warm is a nice way of putting it, ma'am! I'm dripping with sweat and I know my face is probably beet red. I hate exercising! Thank you for the invitation, but I think I'll head home to get cleaned up before I start stinking too bad. Maybe a rain check though? I'd love to talk to you more about my aunt."

Doris chuckled, "That would be fine, Stephanie. It would be nice to visit with you. I don't get out like I used to, and with Elizabeth gone, I don't get to visit much with anyone anymore."

We said our goodbyes and I crossed our yards to go inside and shower. I needed to get ready for Spanish class. I found that it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be, which boosted my confidence. It wasn't easy by any means, but I think knowing some Italian helped. The romance languages have some similarities. I planned to spend the afternoon making multiple copies of all the receipts and notes in the folder that Mom found to hopefully help out the appraisers that were coming this week. After I had my copies, I tried to sort them into piles based on what rooms I thought the objects would be in. It took a few hours, since Aunt Elizabeth had so much stuff, but it was kind of like a puzzle so it wasn't too boring.

The appraisal team showed up a few days later and took charge of the second floor. The place was a hive of activity. They all appreciated having the receipts and notes sorted out, although I apparently didn't get it quite perfect. It took them several days, but when it was all finished they estimated that I had several million dollars worth of items up there, a lot of the value being in the artwork, which was almost all authentic. I know they had to be salivating at the potential commission the auction house would be getting. I had them walk me through each room when they were done and I picked out a bunch of stuff to keep. They weren't the most valuable things but they were specific things I had in mind to give to different people. I also kept back several things for myself. I don't know much about art, and I've never really had an opinion on antiques one way or the other. These were items that sort of 'spoke' to me, for lack of a better word. I planned to take them back to Trenton with me when I moved back. After I finished picking and choosing, they began the process of carefully packing everything that was left into specially made crates and then loading them into a shipping container that magically appeared in front of the house one morning while I was out running.

After all that activity, the house felt eerily quiet once the crew left. I wandered through the now mostly empty second floor rooms, trying to get a handle on what I specifically wanted done up here. I had a few bids from some of the bigger contractors in town, but they all seemed really pricey. I wasn't exactly happy with what they planned to do, either. All I wanted inside the house was closets, bathrooms, bigger bedrooms, and a kitchen remodel. It should be possible to do this without ripping out the character that makes this house cool, right? I decided to go introduce myself to my other next door neighbor. I'd noticed that there was usually a truck parked in the driveway that looked a lot like the other contractors' trucks. Maybe my neighbor would have some ideas. So one evening, after I peeked outside to make sure the truck was in the driveway, I made my way across the yards and knocked on the door. When the door opened, I took a deep breath, smiled, and introduced myself. "Hi there, my name's Stephanie, and I live next door to you. This is may seem like a dumb question, but are you a contractor or work construction or something?"

The man, a tall forty-ish looking blonde guy, looked a bit confused. "Uh, yeah. I'm Steve. I have my own little company. What do you need?"

"Well, it's like this. My house needs some work, but I'm not happy with the ideas and bids I've been getting. I was hoping you could help me out with a name of someone who can help." I pointed at my house, so he'd know for sure that the monstrosity next door was mine.

"My company isn't very big. We're kinda specialized. I like to work on historical renovations. Actually, it's been driving me nuts to see your house looking like it does. I've wanted to get my hands on it for years, but never worked up the nerve to go over and say something."

A-ha. We may have a winner here. "Can we set up a time for you to come over and look at the house and let me tell you my ideas?"

"Well, if you give me about half an hour, I can look at this evening. My dinner just finished cooking in the microwave."

"Oh sure, no problem. It smells good, whatever it is."

"Frozen dinner, a lasagna. I'm not much of a cook."

"Oh me neither, I once set the stove on fire by boiling water!" I smiled sheepishly as he grinned back at me. Wow, he's got a nice smile. I headed back across the yards to my house. I gathered all my notes in the kitchen, I'd tried to write down all the things I thought the house needed. Since I had a little time, I made myself a peanut butter and olive sandwich for my own dinner.

After I let Steve in, exactly half an hour later, I gave him the grand tour and told him my story. "...so my grand plan of signing some papers, putting the house on the market, and taking off a road trip went down the tubes the minute I saw this house."

"You probably could have sold it, but you definitely wouldn't have got much money for it. I think if you spend a little money here, you'll make a lot more."

"Who would want it like this? It has a dozen tiny bedrooms, but only one bathroom, and no closets."

"We can fix that. What exactly are you picturing for this house?"

"I want to increase the number of bathrooms, increase the size of the bedrooms, and add closets. Downstairs, I think the kitchen could stand to be gutted, and maybe the bathroom could stand a little cosmetic work. Outside, I'd like the shutters repaired and painted and the gutter fixed. I have no idea what condition the roof is in, but it doesn't look like it's leaked into the house anywhere. I don't know about the heating system, although adding air conditioning might be nice. Most of all, I want to do all this without losing the interesting character of the house and hopefully without breaking the bank. I like the house, but I don't plan on living in it forever so I need to be able to sell it."

"I can probably come in lower than some of those bids you showed me. It'll take me longer though, since I don't have a huge crew and I like to make sure the job is done right. I'll try to salvage as much as possible to keep the house historically appropriate. Let me get back to you in a few days, after I work up some numbers." We exchanged phone numbers, and I walked him to the door. I did a little happy dance after he left. I had a good feeling about Steve. He seemed like a nice, approachable guy who knew his stuff. I wasn't too thrilled at the prospect of the job taking longer, but it could be worse I guess.

Before I knew it, eight weeks had passed, and I finished my Spanish class with an "A" which thrilled me. I decided to sign up for the next level in the fall, since I knew I'd still be here. Steve and his small crew, just two other guys, had started work on my house. I told him from the get go that I wasn't moving out, so whatever he did I had to still be able to sleep in my bed and have hot water in the mornings. He told me they could work with that, but it was still a pain to live in a construction zone. They started bright and early each morning, so there was no sleeping in for me.

I got up and got my run out of the way before it got too hot. I finally drove my running route and figured I was running about five miles a day about four times a week. On the mornings I didn't run, I started taking a yoga class at the YMCA. The Tae Kwan Do class with the kids wasn't really working for me so I stopped going. I dropped down to one kickboxing class a week as well. I did start driving to Springfield two evenings a week for Krav Maga classes, which seemed to be more what I was interested in, self defense wise.

Doris and I finally got to together for our chat. I found myself visiting with her several times a week. I think she was lonely since she didn't drive anymore and her only family left was her grandson who was currently serving in Afghanistan. I found myself taking her with me to Walmart when I had to go, or when I had other errands to do, where she needed to go as well. After she found out that I didn't cook, she insisted on cooking me dinner a few nights a week. I'd hang out in the kitchen with her while she worked and pretty soon she'd ask me to do little things to help her prepare a meal. Before I knew it, I was fully involved in the cooking process. Doris made it fun to cook, unlike cooking lessons with Mom who made it into a huge deal.

I had talked about my plan with Doris during one of our visits, and she thought that sounded like something Elizabeth would have liked. While we talked, Doris was always knitting something. When I asked her about it, she told me it was something to keep her hands busy and her mind calm. That woman was something else. She had me knitting too, and I don't even know how it happened! My first efforts were hideous, but she just calmly told me that it wouldn't be a challenge if I did it perfect the first time. I kept at it, and soon made a scarf that looked a little crazy, but it was still mostly identifiable as a scarf.

Another thing I somehow got involved in through Doris, was art classes. The local art gallery sponsored workshops for the public, and Doris wanted to participate and needed a ride. I found myself doing a pottery making class, then a workshop on art glass, and one on sculpting. I had never thought of myself as artistic, but I had a blast!

Steve had me helping out in my house as well. He taught me how to refinish some of the woodwork in the house, that he wanted to reuse. I learned how to replace broken panes of glass and how to tile a floor. I wasn't sure yet how anything I was doing in Jacksonville would help me out in the future, but I was glad that I was broadening my horizons a bit.

I had plenty to keep me busy, but I still found time to chat with Mary Lou and the girls at the bonds office. I regularly checked in with Lester and Tank. No one had heard anything about Ranger, so I kept hoping that no news was good news. Mom and I talked often, and she kept me filled in on Grandma's antics and the Kloughn family. Grandma had finished Elizabeth's diaries, and I think made her peace. She seemed like she was back to her old self. No one mentioned Joe to me. I didn't hate Joe, I just didn't want to be with him. I hoped he was doing okay.

As the fall passed, I started making plans to visit Trenton for Christmas. I missed my family and friends and wanted to see them in person. I wasn't returning to Trenton permanently yet. My house wasn't done, for one thing. I also felt like I needed more time. I may have been busy broadening my horizons over the past several months, but I still didn't feel like I had any answers.

I made arrangements for Doris to babysit Rex, and Steve volunteered to drive me to the airport. I had several bags I was taking with me, most of them holding Christmas gifts. My plane landed in Newark, and Mom and Dad were there to greet me. They looked me over carefully before giving me big smiles and brief hugs. "Pumpkin, you look fantastic!"

"Thanks Dad!" Once Dad saw all the luggage he started grumbling about women always packing too much and how were we going to fit it all in the car. I laughed at him and told him they were mostly Christmas gifts, and that he wouldn't have to load as much when he took me back to the airport next week. I fell asleep in the car and the next thing I knew, we were parked in front of my parents' house. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I was back in Trenton.


	16. Chapter 16

Author Note: Thanks for the great reviews! I also appreciate all that are following and/or favorited my first story.

/

Janet Evanovich owns most of these characters. I'm just borrowing them.

Time Out

Ch16

My week in Trenton passed by so quickly. It seemed like I was on the go the entire time I was there since there were so many people to visit and not a lot of time. I put a lot of miles on Big Blue that week! I stopped by the bonds office and brought donuts to Connie and Lula. Lula filled me in on her bounty hunting adventures since she took over the lowest bond skips after I left. Apparently it wasn't as much fun without me there to attract the crazy people. Now it was Lula's turn to roll in garbage and she didn't like it much. Hunh, imagine that.

Mary Lou and I had lunch one day while her boys were in school. She filled me in on everything going on in the 'Burg. She told me Joe was pretty much off the radar for a few months after I left, but had recently been spotted with several different women. Terry Gilman was of course one of them, as well as a few young and pretty divorcees. Angie Morelli and Grandma Bella haven't been too kind to any of the women, so I guess it wasn't just me they didn't like. Probably no woman would ever be good enough for their Joseph. Mary Lou said the 'Burg grapevine had actually been pretty silent since I left since I had inadvertently provided a lot of fuel for the gossiping.

I swung by TPD and went in to say hello to some of my old friends. Eddie Gazarra, married to my cousin Shirley, was there as well as Carl Costanza and Big Dog. Robin Russell was the first to see me and sounded the alarm, so to speak. Before I knew it, I was surrounded by cops asking where I'd been and complaining that nothing exciting ever happened now that I was gone. As we were chatting, Lula came in dragging a handcuffed Punky Balog behind her. Both Lula and Punky were covered in a shiny substance that I knew from past experience to be Vaseline. Several cops started making jokes and suggestive comments to Lula about the Vaseline and handcuffs. I could tell Lula was about 5 seconds from rhino mode, so I decided to jump in. "Leave her alone, guys. Lula's doing her job. She brought him in, didn't she? Do any of you have any idea how difficult it is to bring in some of these skips without causing the skip or yourself serious harm? Lay off the jokes. I really didn't like it when you bet on me and made jokes at my expense and you were supposed to be my friends. I'm sure as hell not going to watch you do it to my friend, Lula." I got several grumbles in response as well as a few ashamed looks.

"Sorry, Lula." I heard from someone in the crowd.

"S'alright." Lula replied. "Thank you, white girl, for havin' my back. You're the kind of friend a girl likes to have." She held her head high as she dragged Punky over to the docket lieutenant's desk.

As I walked back out to get in Big Blue, a hand grabbed my arm. "Hold up, Cupcake."

Shit. I was hoping to not run into Joe today. "Hi, Joe. How've you been?" I asked with a small smile and hopefully blank face.

"Getting better, Cupcake. Can we talk? Will you meet me at Pino's in a few minutes?"

"I don't know, Joe. I think maybe we should keep our distance."

"Stephanie, it'll be fine. No yelling. I just want to talk to you, I promise."

"Alright," I sighed. "I'll meet you over there in a few."

I slid into a booth at the back of Pino's. It was fairly slow since it was the middle of the afternoon. Joe walked in a few minutes later and headed straight for me. We ordered soft drinks to justify occupying a booth, but no food. I didn't want to get trapped there in case our conversation deteriorated. "So..." I started after our waitress walked away.

"Look, I just wanted to tell you that you were right," Joe started. He looked about as uncomfortable as I felt. "What you said, before you left, was right on. I was copying your M.O. by living in denial. I wanted it to work with you because I love you. I didn't want to see that our relationship was going nowhere and it was both our faults. It took me a few months, but I'm good now."

"So I hear. How many girls are you dating now?" I asked with a smirk.

"I've started going on a few dates, but nothing more than that. I'm not playing around anymore. I'm looking for the woman I wanted you to be and I can't do that if I go back to my player lifestyle of my teens and twenties."

"I am glad, Joe." I said softly. "I do love you, but it just wouldn't have worked. I'm glad you're moving forward and looking for your happy ending."

"What about you, Cupcake? Anyone new for you? I understand Ranger has been gone this whole time."

"Ranger has been gone and no, I'm not seeing anyone. I don't see the need to complicate my life right now with a relationship."

"I'd like to stay friends, Stephanie. We've been apart long enough now that I think we could swing it."

"I'd like that too. I think we were always better at friends than lovers. I have to go, but we'll keep in touch okay? Don't be a stranger."

"Same to you, Steph." We hugged and walked out, a few interested eyes upon us as we left. I was sure the whole 'Burg would know in a few minutes that Joe Morelli and Stephanie Plum just had a civil conversation at Pino's.

/

I did have to go, because I needed to head to the mall to pick up a few last minute gifts. I'd packed a bunch of stuff to bring with me, but rather than pack everything, I decided to buy some of the stuff I had in mind once I got back to Trenton. My gifts this year were an eclectic mix of old and new and handmade. I rushed through the mall, buying everything I'd planned, and even stopped to buy myself a cute pair of black patent leather and matte snakeskin peep toe pumps that were on sale. Merry Christmas to me! It was still hard to remember that I didn't need to buy things on sale or clearance anymore, since I was now a fairly wealthy woman. Old habits die hard and sales racks are hard to pass up. Too, part of the thrill of shopping is finding a great sale.

I finished just in time to make it to Shorty's only a few minutes late, where I was meeting some of the Merry Men. When I walked in, Bobby, Hector, Ram, Zip, and Hal were waiting for me. Lester, Tank, Manny, and Cal were working so I'd catch up with them another time. A few hours later, the remains of five pizzas and three pitchers of beer were all that was left on the table. I drank a few too many beers, although not as many as the guys since I'm such a lightweight. It was nice to hang out with them and be one of the crew. We finished up the last game of pool and Bobby offered to drive me back to my parents' house. Hal said he would follow, to pick up Bobby. "You look really good, Steph. Have you been working out?" Bobby broke the silence in Big Blue.

"Yeah, actually I have a little bit. Bet you'd never see that happen, hunh?" I teased.

"I think we've all figured out that there is no forcing you to do anything. If it was going to happen, it'd be because you wanted it to. I'm glad you decided to go for it."

"Obviously, I'll never be able to compete with you guys, but I am happy to be in better shape. I haven't really changed my eating habits, but nobody's perfect, right?"

"You're improving your health by exercising. You'll also end up with fewer injuries. The change in diet would be good as well, but I know better than to nag at you." I guess Bobby was in medic mode tonight. He pulled Big Blue to curb in front of the house.

"Not to change the subject, Bobby, but have you heard from Ranger?" It seems like I always ask that whenever I talk to one of the core team. Hopefully I'll get a different answer one of these days.

"I haven't, no, but Tank talked to him a few weeks ago. There was some sort of problem and Ranger's mission is extended probably for another few months. But he's okay, so I know you'll be glad to know that." Bobby gave me an understanding smile.

"Thanks, Bobby. I hate to be annoying by asking all the time, but I miss him. Anyway, thanks for the ride, Bobby. I'll be stopping in at Rangeman to visit in a few days. I'll catch up with you then, okay?" Bobby nodded and climbed into Hal's Rangeman SUV. They drove off as I hauled myself up the front steps. I chit chatted a few minutes with my parents and Grandma before falling into bed.

/

Christmas was the usual craziness in the Plum household. Dad monopolized the TV remote, Albert Kloughn was trying his hardest to make an idiot out of himself, Val's two youngest daughters were throwing tantrums, Mary Alice was galloping around and whinnying like a horse, Angie was reading aloud from a new book she got for Christmas, Grandma was drunk and singing carols, and Mom and Val were desperately trying to get the meal together and on the table by 2:00. This was all going on all at the same time, and had been going on for the past two hours. No one needed my help, and it was only noon, so I slipped out of the house to escape the mayhem and play Santa.

Mary Lou and Lenny and the boys were at her in-laws for the day, so I left her gifts inside her enclosed front porch. I gave her an antique jewelry box, a pair of antique ruby drop earrings, and a blue glazed bowl I made in my pottery workshop. It had the names of her boys written around the rim and it really turned out well, considering I made it. The jewelry box and earrings came from the part of the second floor stash that I kept back from the auction people.

Next up was Connie. She wasn't home and I was sure she was visiting with her family, so I left her gift sitting on her back porch. I didn't have anything hand made for Connie, but she also received a jewelry box, smaller but more ornate than Mary Lou's, and an antique Art Deco type necklace with turquoise stones.

Lula was actually at home when I got there. I knew she'd get mushy, so I just dropped off the gift and told her I had to get back home for dinner. I gave Lula an antique silver hand mirror and a pair of Louboutin red leather platforms with a 5 inch spike heel. I knew she'd love them and would never be able to afford them on her own. That was one thing I could get used to, giving people things I know they want but couldn't have on their own.

I returned home just in time for dinner. After Mom's and Val's hard work was devoured, it was time for presents. The kids all got books and toys from me. I gave my dad and Albert boxes of cigars which resulted in frowns from Mom and Val. Val's frown turned upside down when she opened her wooden jewelry box to find a matching set of antique emerald earrings, necklace, and bracelet. I gave Grandma some jewelry as well as a small box containing little notes her sister wrote about her treasures. Mom was floored when she unwrapped my afghan, which I made under Doris' sharp eyed supervision. Mom couldn't believe I actually made it myself. I handed her and Dad an envelope and another to Grandma. Mom and Dad would be going on a cruise. Mom seemed to have a good time away from Trenton when she visited me, and I thought she and Dad deserved a real vacation. Grandma got a ticket for a senior singles bus trip down to Florida. Maybe she'd find herself a hottie. Unh. The grand finale for Mom, Dad, and Grandma was another envelope which contained a set of blueprints. It took Dad a minute before he realized what he was looking at. He started grinning like a maniac and Mom was still confused.

"It's a bathroom!" he exclaimed. "A second bathroom! Stephanie is going to have our basement finished and add another bathroom down there!" Wow, I haven't seen Dad this excited in years, maybe not ever. I did good, I think!

"Stephanie, this is too much," Mom started in.

"No it's not. A second bathroom will go along way to keeping the peace in the this house. I have the ability to give it to you, so I'm doing it. In addition to the bathroom and your exisitng laundry area, there should be enough room so that Dad can have a little man cave down there too." I looked around to see Dad's reaction to that last bit, but he was gone. The blueprints were gone too. I bet he was in the basement, staring at the plans, envisioning his new space.

/

The day after Christmas, I loaded a few more gift boxes into Big Blue and headed over to Rangeman, which was located on Haywood. I realized I forgot my key fob to get in the building back at the house in Jacksonville, so I'd have to go in the front lobby door. I parked on the street and lugged in my boxes. A new guy was manning the reception desk. "Hi! I'd like to see Tank, please. And I have a few gifts as well."

"Ma'am, do you have an appointment?"

"No appointment, but he knew I'd be stopping by today."

"If you don't have an appointment, then you'll have to go."

"He'll see me. Just call up to his office."

"Ma'am, you need to leave. I'm not about to harass Tank because some crazy woman is downstairs." At this point, I think steam was coming out of my ears. I set my boxes down and dug through my purse, looking for my phone to call Tank myself. Next thing I knew, I was tackled from behind and slammed to the floor. My head bounced off the floor a few times and the world went dark.

"Stephanie! Stephanie! Bomber, if you don't wake up, I'm calling for an ambulance." I forced my eyes open at that statement and blinked several times. Bobby was hovering over me, pen light in his hand to check my pupils.

"I'm fine, lemme up," I moaned. I looked over to see what the yelling was all about and saw Tank looming over the desk guy who looked like he was about to pee his pants. "Bobby, what's up with the new guy? He was really rude and then he tackled me for no reason!"

"I thought she was going for a weapon!" the new guy exclaimed. "She looked like a crazy person with that hair and demanded to see you, Tank. I was protecting the business!"

"Oh, jeez. My hair's not that bad today, is it?" I said with a groan. "Obviously he has no idea who I am, right? Is it really policy to body slam someone and bang their head into the ground a few times right in the lobby?"

"No, Little Girl, it is not policy." Tank replied. "Jonesy, here, will be packing his shit immediately and getting out of here before he gets seriously hurt. Sorry about this, Little Girl."

"You fucking idiot," Lester ranted. "This is Stephanie Plum. You know the name? The Bombshell Bounty Hunter? Ranger's woman? What were you thinking?"

Jonesy paled at the 'Ranger's woman' comment. I think he finally saw the gravity of his situation. "I'll just go," he mumbled and hurried to gather his belongings.

"You'll see me on the mats before you leave the building, boy." Tank boomed. Lester said he'd be taking a turn with Jonesy also and soon Bobby and a few other guys put in their requests to go a round with the poor man. I felt kind of sorry for him, because I knew what was coming, but my head hurt too damn bad to feel too sorry for him.

Bobby took me up to five, so I could lay on the couch in Tank's office with an ice pack on my head while everyone went down to the gym to give a farewell beating to the new guy. I knew it'd be awhile before they came back. I woke up to someone gently shaking my shoulder. "Beautiful, wake up." I opened my eyes to see Lester staring at me with worry in his green eyes. "Let Bobby check you again, okay? We're all done with Jonesy, so when Bobby says you're good, then we can visit." Bobby felt the huge knot on the side of my head and checked my pupils. I was sure I probably had a concussion, but that wasn't anything new for me.

"Bomber, just when things get boring around here, we can count on you to liven it up! I'm sorry it was at your expense though."

"Where's all my stuff?" I asked the room at large. Tank pointed to the corner, where my gift boxes were rather smushed and lopsided. The wrapping paper was torn and they all looked pretty sad. "Merry Christmas, guys," I said with a frown. "I'm sorry your presents are all messed up. The actual gifts inside should be okay, but the wrapping is sure ugly now."

"Beautiful, you didn't have to get us anything, but thank you. We're just happy to see you."

"Well, you might as well open them the rest of the way now." Lester tore into his like a little kid on Christmas morning. Bobby and Tank were a little more mature about unwrapping their gifts.

"Oh wow. Steph, this is awesome! Where did you get these?" I gave Bobby, Tank, and Lester each a sword and a knife. They were authentic antique weapons, according to the appraiser. The 'newest' one was a sword from the Civil War.

"I inherited them. You remember, Lester, all those rooms of stuff at my house?" Lester nodded. "Well, one of the rooms turned out to have a bunch of antique arms and armor. I sent most of it to auction, but I had a few warrior buddies that I thought might get a kick out of having something like this." Lester grinned.

"This is the best gift. Mine's going on the wall in my office. Thanks Steph!" Bobby gave me a hug, followed by Tank, and Lester. We chatted for awhile longer, before my headache got worse again. Bobby gave me a few Advil and sent me home to get a nap.

The next day, Dad took me back to Newark for my flight back. Steve would be picking me up in St. Louis and taking me back to Jacksonville. "Pumpkin, it was good to see you this week. Thank you again for the cruise and the new bathroom. It's too much, but thanks."

"Daddy, I have the resources now to do nice things for the people I love. I'm not gonna go overboard, it was Christmas after all. I'll keep it toned down, but I still want to do stuff like that occasionally. You won't get fussy about this, will you?"

"No, just don't do too much. That money is yours. Your mother and I don't want anyone to take advantage of you."

"No one will. I won't let it happen. I'm not going to be a push over. Okay, I have to go, but I'll talk to you soon." Dad and I exchanged hugs and I headed towards the security line, minus two of the bags of Christmas gifts that came to Trenton with me. A few hours later, I was back in St. Louis climbing into Steve's truck, headed back to Jacksonville. It had been an eventful week.


	17. Chapter 17

Janet Evanovich owns most of these characters. I'm just borrowing them.

Time Out

Ch17

On the ride back to Jacksonville, Steve kept looking at me. Not just as we were chatting, but when he thought I wasn't paying attention. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. "What?"

"What do you mean?" Oh, he was trying to play innocent. Right, like I wasn't going to see through that.

"You keep looking at me like I've grown an extra head or something. I'm not having that bad a hair day, so spill."

"You, um, that's a really big bruise on your face. Want to tell me about it?"

Oh yeah, the bruise. The nice goose egg I got from Stupid Desk Guy at Rangeman had blossomed into a large and colorful bruise across my temple and cheekbone. I'd gotten so used to being bruised while being a bounty hunter, I didn't even bother trying to put concealer on it. I could see where that might freak out someone who didn't know me from before. "It's just a bruise and a little concussion. I've had worse, believe me. I got tackled and my head hit the floor a few times."

"Do I need to go to Trenton and beat someone up for you, Steph?" Steve was absolutely serious as he said this. It was sweet.

"No, the guy got pulverized by some of my friends and lost his job. Believe me, he's regretting it and probably hurts worse than I do."

"You make it sound like it's no big deal. You were assaulted Stephanie. It's a big deal." Could this guy get any sweeter?

"Well, it's like this. I used to be a bounty hunter when I lived in Trenton. I had a 100 percent capture rate, but my skills were lacking so I'm kinda used to getting beat up."

"You were a bounty hunter? Like that Dog guy on TV? You? You seem so sweet and innocent."

Ha! Steve obviously doesn't know me very well. I spent the rest of the trip entertaining him with stories from my bounty hunting days. I don't think he believed me. Finally, I told him to google me, or "Bombshell Bounty Hunter", and then we'd talk some more. I'd never googled myself, but with the notoriety I'd endured in Trenton, I was pretty sure something would surely pop up on a google search. And like that woman on the insurance commercial says (Allstate?), if you read it on the internet it has to be true, right?

As we pulled onto our street, I told Steve I had missed Rex and was going straight over to Doris' house to get him. Steve said, "I need to tell you something before you get out of the truck."

"What, something happen with the house?"

"No, no your house is good, in fact I have a surprise for you in there. But, Doris slipped on the ice yesterday and broke her hip. She's at the hospital. I've got Rex. I just didn't want you to freak out when you didn't get an answer at her door.

"Oh shit! Is she going to be okay? Have they called her grandson?"

"They're having trouble getting in touch since he's in Afghanistan. Someone is supposed to be getting him the message. Until then, she's holding her own. Since she doesn't have anyone at home to help her, she may have to go to a nursing home when she gets out."

"Jeez, that's awful. I'll go see her in the morning. It's probably too late in the day for visitors. Thanks for looking after Rex and thanks for coming to get me today, Steve."

"No problem, Steph, it got me out of the house for awhile and you're a pretty good storyteller so you kept me entertained." Yep, he definitely didn't believe anything I said.

/

The next morning, I decided to skip my outdoor run since it was still icy and drove to the YMCA to hop on a treadmill. I hadn't exercised the whole time I was in Trenton, unless you can count my marathon shopping trip at the mall. It was so tempting to stay in my warm, cozy bed and the old Stephanie would have. But this is the new Stephanie, and she exercises no matter how much it sucks to get out of bed. It was apparent after my mishap in the Rangeman lobby, that I was a disaster magnet no matter what. I wasn't doing anything more dangerous than delivering gifts to friends and I still ended up bruised and concussed. I needed to step up my game so I could be better prepared next time. After I returned home from my run, I stood in the hot shower trying to get my legs to go from jelly-like to a more solid state. Man, you skip working out for a week, and you lose ground fast!

I wobbled my way into my bedroom with a towel wrapped around me and flopped on the bed in my thinking position. The New Year was just a few days away and I was thinking I needed a new list. Maybe a combination New Year's Resolutions and What I Need to Do to Get Back to Trenton list. I decided the list could wait 'til later. I needed to get dressed and go visit Doris in the hospital. I needed to walk over to Steve's house and get Rex. I remembered Steve telling me about a surprise yesterday, but it was pushed out of my mind at the time with the news about Doris' broken hip.

I wandered around downstairs but didn't see anything that looked like a surprise, so I headed up the stairs. I opened doors as I made my way down the hall. Everything looked really good. The floors were refinished, the trim was back up, and the walls were primed and ready for paint. The new bathrooms looked great except for needing a few finishing touches. This wasn't anything new to me, I had seen all this before I left for Trenton.

Finally, I got to the end of the hall and opened the door to the new master suite. The space was breathtaking. This was obviously my surprise and it was awesome. Unlike the other rooms that were still awaiting paint, the walls in the master suite were painted a rich marine blue that had just a hint of green in it. The gleaming hardwood floor was covered by an antique rug in soft blue, green, gray, and gold. One of the beds that Mom and I had lugged downstairs and set up had been carried back upstairs and placed in the master. The dark, carved wood of the headboard and footboard gleamed richly in the light. Dark gold curtains were at the windows and the same shade of gold was on the bed coverings. The rest of the furniture in the bedroom and small adjoining sitting area were pieces that I chose to keep instead of sending to auction. I never could have put the room together like this, it looked like something out of a magazine! The walk in closet was finished and waiting for me to bring up my clothes. The bathroom was finished and waiting for me to use the new steam shower or jacuzzi tub. Dark blue bath mats and towels decorated the bathroom. The whole suite had a luxury hotel feel. On the bed, I saw a card. Opening it, I read the note that was in Doris' handwriting. "Merry Christmas Stephanie! Steve and I worked hard to get this ready for you before you returned. I picked the paint colors and pointed out where the furniture should go. Steve took me shopping for all the curtains and linens. We hope you enjoy your new space!" Oh wow. I had a little moisture in my eyes after reading that. I had made two good friends in this town. With that, it was time to go see Doris.

/

Seeing Doris in her hospital bed brought home the fact that she was an old lady. I couldn't compare her to Grandma because Grandma was in a league of her own, but the Doris I remembered was always bustling about wanting to try new things and keep busy. Except for the no driving thing, she never struck me as old. The woman in the hospital bed looked small and frail. I knocked lightly on her partially open door as I stuck my head in. "Hey Doris," I said softly. She was deeply engrossed in her soap opera and I think I startled her. She gave me a wan smile and waved me in.

"How was your trip, Stephanie? Did you have a good time?"

I settled into the chair beside her bed and told her about my stay in Trenton. She asked about my bruise and I told her the story. I also told her about my previous job as a bounty hunter and, unlike Steve, I think Doris believed me. She seemed to get a kick out it. We chatted about my wonderful master suite and I told her she should have been an interior decorator. My praise seemed to tickle her and she laughed a little. I could tell she was in pain, and I didn't want to tire her out, but she grabbed my hand and asked me to stay with her awhile. Apparently Steve and I were her only visitors. I knew she had other friends, but she said she hadn't told anyone else because she didn't want to bother them.

Finally, I decided to bring up the elephant in the room. "So, Doris. Steve said you slipped on the ice, which I could believe since it is pretty slick out there, but you are usually pretty careful. What happened?"

"Oh, it was just one of those things." Her good mood disappeared immediately and she looked uncomfortable. My spidey sense, which had been dormant for the past several months, kicked into high gear.

"Nope, that's not gonna work on me. What happened?" I asked again.

Doris got a slightly mulish expression on her face and remained silent. Two could play that game. Since I couldn't do the one eyebrow lift like the Merry Men, I raised both brows and stared at her silently. Our silent battle of wills only lasted a few minutes but thankfully she caved right before I did.

"I didn't slip. Well, I did slip, but it wasn't an accident. I was pushed."

"Steve didn't tell me that," I was starting to fume. "Did the police catch whoever it was?"

"I didn't tell Steve and the police don't know. The person ran off and I was afraid they'd think I was just a crazy old lady so I didn't say anything. I was at your house and was just leaving. I set the alarm, just like you showed me, and had just locked the door. Someone popped out of those ugly bushes in front of your house and grabbed my arm. They told me to unlock the door and deactivate the alarm. I swung my purse around at them and they shoved me away which is when I fell. I laid there for probably 15 minutes before Steve came out of his house and saw me."

"This happened in front of my house? Steve didn't tell me that either. When he said you fell, I just assumed it was at your house. Did you recognize the person? Was it a man or woman?"

"No, they were all bundled up in a big coat and a ski mask. I didn't recognize whoever it was. It was either a small man with a kind of high voice or a woman. The person took off when I fell."

"Have you noticed anyone hanging around while I was gone?"

"No, I was over at your place several times helping Steve get your new bedroom ready. I was only there that night to check it over to make sure it was all done."

"You and Steve are the only ones with my security code. Has anyone asked you about me or the house at any time while you were out and about?"

"Well, sure. Everyone knows you're fixing the place up and they're curious. Especially after the Price family said some ugly things after Elizabeth's death."

"I don't know why anyone would want in the house now. I could understand someone breaking in when I had all of that stuff on the second floor but after the auction people carted it off, I figured the place would be safe." I could tell Doris was fading so I decided to let her get some rest. "Thanks for telling me about this, Doris. I'm so sorry you got hurt because of me. I'm gonna look into it, okay?"

She nodded and closed her eyes as I left her room. I thought I was safe from craziness in Jacksonville, but apparently my luck had run out here and poor Doris was the one to suffer because of it. I wasn't a real detective, but I had some experience in figuring things out. The first thing at the top of my new, as yet unwritten, list would be to find out who hurt Doris and why they wanted in my house. Everything else could wait.


	18. Chapter 18

Author Note: I love the reviews! Thanks for all the FFF's (feedback, follows, & favorites)!

/

Janet Evanovich owns most of these characters. I'm just borrowing them

Time Out

Ch18

The first thing I did after leaving Doris' hospital room was go straight to Steve's house. I needed to pick up Rex anyway, but I also wanted to talk to Steve about what happened. It was going to be more difficult to find stuff out in Jacksonville. In Trenton, I had a large network of people I could talk to in search of answers. Here, I was mainly friends with Steve and Doris. I'd met some other people in my classes at the Y and the art workshops I attended with Doris, but my circle of acquaintances was very small in comparison to Trenton.

I parked in my driveway and hiked over to knock on Steve's door. He yelled at me to come on in, so I opened his unlocked front door and took my wet boots off in the foyer. Hopefully Steve would start being a little more cautious with his home security after our conversation. I could tell he was in his home office at the back of the house. I tapped on Rex's cage and said hello as I passed through the kitchen. Steve was kicked back in his office chair, looking at lighting fixtures on his computer and writing something on a notepad. I dropped into his other chair and waited for him to finish what he was doing.

After a few minutes, he put down the note pad and swiveled his chair around to face me. "What's up?" he asked. "You look pretty serious. Were we that off the mark on the master suite? Doris and I both thought you'd really like it."

"No, the bedroom is awesome. You two did a fantastic job. Too bad you can't hire Doris to decorate after you finish your renovation jobs. No, I'm serious because I just got home from visiting Doris." I proceeded to tell him everything Doris told me and then Steve was looking serious as well. "So, I want to look into this and find out who hurt her. I've done this kind of thing before, but it was at home where I know everyone and know where to go to get answers. I don't have that network here. Will you help me?"

"Of course I'll help you, but isn't this something for the police?"

"Doris didn't want to call the police because she's afraid they'll think she made it up and is a crazy old lady. If that's what she wants, that's fine, but I'll be working on this myself then."

"Whatever you need me to do, I'm in. I never really talked to Doris before you moved in. She's a cool old lady and I'm glad I got to know her. As you know, I'm taking a break for a few days until after the first of the year. The upstairs of your house is mostly done, except for paint and a few small things. I'll be starting on the first floor and basement next, so this seemed like a good time for a break. The point is, I have a few days free so I can help you out. I grew up here and know a fair amount of people that we can talk to."

I smiled and told him, "Good, that's what I hoped you'd say. I have a few calls to make and I want to get Rex settled at home. Why don't you come over in a few hours and we'll make some plans."

Steve agreed and as we walked through the house towards his front door, he said, "I have to apologize, Steph. I really thought you were a great storyteller yesterday, but didn't think anything you said could possibly have really happened. I did look you up online last night and was shocked at what I read. Your life is like something out of a novel or movie! It's hard to believe you've had that much stuff happen to you and you're still alive! Anyway, sorry for doubting you. I'll see you in a little while."

"Apology accepted," I said, smirking, as I walked out the door.

/

I carted Rex across the yards and through my house to carefully place his cage on the hideous green kitchen countertop. "You got shuffled around a little bit while I was gone, buddy. I know Doris and Steve probably spoiled you, but aren't you glad to be home, Rex?" Rex twitched his whiskers, blinked his eyes, and returned to his soup can, which I interpreted as, "Yep, there's no place like home, Mom!"

I retrieved my notepad from the top of my bed and parked myself at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and some Oreo's. I needed to call Rangeman and ask how to retrieve the camera footage from the day of Doris' fall. Maybe for a few days prior to that too. I was pretty sure my cameras weren't being constantly monitored by Rangeman, but I thought Lester told me they were recording somewhere. I wanted to talk to my other neighbors on the street. I'd never introduced myself to them, but they offered friendly waves when we passed each other. I hoped that the friendly waves would translate into friendly neighbors that would help me out. Maybe someone saw something out of place. I was suspicious of the Price family because of their hard feelings after Elizabeth's death, but didn't have anything concrete to back up my suspicions. It could have been random, but I doubted it. I needed Steve's help in making the rounds of his family and friends and collecting any gossip or rumors that might apply to me, the house, or Doris. It was a shaky start to my investigation, but all I needed was one little thread to pull and hopefully something would unravel and I'd find out more.

Lester answered on the first ring. "Beautiful! What's up? We miss you already, there's been no excitement since you left!"

Rolling my eyes, I replied, "Gee Lester, your 'excitement' left me with a concussion and a huge bruise on my face. I'm so glad that amuses you."

"That's not what I meant. I wish you weren't hurt, but it was pretty fun to beat Jonesy into the mats. I think he wet himself when he saw the long line of guys waiting to take their turn pounding him."

Lester was the Rangeman gossip and we chatted about various rumors floating around the office. I asked about Ranger but there was still no news. I was starting to get a little concerned. I know he told me a few months or more, but it's been more like eight months now. Rather than get depressed thinking about Ranger, I got to the point of my call. "Les, do my security cameras record somewhere? There was an issue outside the house the day before I got back and I am hoping it was caught on the cameras."

"What happened? Is everything okay?" Les immediately shifted from gossip mode to security expert mode.

"My elderly neighbor, Doris, was assaulted as she left my house. She was working on a surprise for me in the house and after she set the alarm code and locked the door, an unidentified person grabbed her arm and demanded to be let in the house. She ended up falling down and breaking her hip."

"Steph, why does she have your alarm code? No one should have that code but you."

"Only two people besides me have the code and they are both neighbors that I trust. One is Doris, and the other is Steve, my contractor and other next door neighbor. Steve is the one who found Doris. I am really interested in seeing surveillance footage, if it exists. I am beyond pissed that Doris was hurt because of me. We can discuss the alarm code thing later."

"There will be footage, but I'll review it to see if it actually caught the assault. If it happened right in front of the door, we should see something."

"Also, neither Doris nor Steve noticed anything suspicious before this, but I'm not convinced this was a random thing. Can we check a few days before to see if the cameras caught anything weird? Or better yet, can you just put it all on a disc or flash drive and send it to me? That way I don't cause you any extra work. I can review it myself."

"Yeah, I don't think so, Steph. I'll be reviewing it, but I can promise to hand deliver a copy to you."

"There's no need for you to come out here-"

"-Don't argue, Beautiful. I'll be there tomorrow."

I started to argue, but realized he'd hung up on me. I think Rangeman has mandatory training to take away any phone manners the guys may have originally possessed. It was quite irritating.

/

Next on my list was to introduce myself to the neighbors. I thought taking Steve with me might help. What would really help is if I came bearing gifts. I looked at the old kitchen clock and saw that I had time to implement my gift bearing plan. I collected my purse and ran out to the Explorer. I zipped over to County Market and bought all the ingredients to make homemade chocolate chip cookies. Thanks to Doris, I have more confidence in the kitchen these days. And, it's pretty hard for even me to screw up the recipe on the back of the chocolate chips. Another reason I'm confident with cookies is because I am motivated to make sure my dessert tastes good.

I was in the kitchen pulling the latest batch of cookies out of the oven when I heard Steve knock and yell hello as he let himself in. His eyes lit up when he saw all the cookies cooling on the counter. He reached for one, but I smacked the back of his hand. "Keeps your paws off! These are bribes for the neighbors!" He looked confused, so I enlightened him. "You and I are going to walk around the street this evening, going door to door, introducing ourselves. The cookies are gifts. I'm hoping that will encourage people to talk to us. Hopefully someone saw something out of place and will decide to share with us."

"Hey, that's a pretty good plan. I remember when I first met you. Your cooking skills were worse than mine, and I can only operate a microwave. You've come a long way, you're voluntarily baking now."

"Doris is a good influence and I'm motivated not to screw up dessert."

Steve helped me divide up the cookies into small packages and we placed them all in a large paper bag, which Steve volunteered to carry. I promised him any cookies that were left over in exchange for his help. Two hours later, I was totally discouraged. Only about half the houses had people who answered their doors and none of those people saw anything they thought was unusual. Since it's the holidays, lots of people were traveling so we missed neighbors that way, plus there were more strange vehicles and people in our area with families coming in for the holidays. Most of my cookies were gone, and the neighbors seemed friendly so I'm hoping maybe they'll start keeping an eye out for me. It may have been a bust today, but it's possible I'll get a result in the future from this.

We trudged back to my house and regrouped in the kitchen. I opened the rest of the cookies and set them on a plate between us. We munched our treats and thought about what to do next. Steve offered to introduce me around to some of his friends and family, so I can get started inserting myself into the local gossip grapevine. He also promised to put out some feelers on his own about who might want to get in my house. I knew I'd be visiting with Doris again in the morning and maybe I could get more details out of her. Lester would be here tomorrow, and I told Steve that we'd have temporary professional reinforcements. I was really hoping there'd be something big caught on the cameras, but with my luck who knew.

Steve and I decided to call it quits for the evening and I walked him to the door, setting the alarm and locking the door after he left. I decided to move all my stuff up into my new luxury hotel suite of a master bedroom. Several trips up and down the stairs later, I was all set and ready for bed. Tomorrow I'd visit Doris and greet Lester when he arrived.


	19. Chapter 19

Janet Evanovich owns most of these characters. I'm just borrowing them.

Time Out

Ch19

I knew Lester was arriving today, but didn't know when. There wasn't a need to hang around waiting for him, since he could pick the lock and disable the alarm so easily. Today was a yoga day and after a satisfying workout, my muscles were pleasantly sore and I was ready to melt into a puddle of goo. I hauled myself to my feet and drove home.

I couldn't wait to test out my new steam shower with its plethora of adjustable shower heads. A half hour later, I was showered, shaved, and exfoliated and my muscles were happy after being pummeled from all directions with hot water. I slathered on some new lotion I'd received for Christmas and styled my hair. Happy with how my curls were falling, I applied light makeup and thought I looked pretty decent.

I heard my cell phone ring in the bedroom, so with a towel wrapped loosely around my body I barreled through the bathroom door, intent on getting the phone before it stopped ringing. My progress came to an abrupt halt when I smacked into a large immovable object. I let out a loud shriek as I crashed to the floor, taking a small table lamp with me. I heard a yell from downstairs and then someone pounding up the steps. I looked up and my jaw dropped.

"You need to more aware of your surroundings, Babe." I tried to untangle myself from the towel and table lamp so I could get to my feet and launch myself at Ranger. I could feel myself beaming from ear to ear. At that moment, my bedroom door crashed open and Steve ran in looking wild eyed.

"Steph! Are you okay? Did he hurt you? I tried to call to warn you someone was breaking in to your house." Steve turned his attention to Ranger. "Just step away from her, man. Take anything you want, just leave her alone. We'll even give you a head start before we call the cops."

"Babe?"

"Steve, it's okay. This is Ranger. We're, uh, good friends."

"Your friends routinely break into your house, Steph?" Steve shot a glare at Ranger. If I wasn't laying on the floor naked, tangled in a towel and lamp cord, this might be funny. Poor Steve was trying to be protective, but his glare up against Ranger's stony blank face reminded me of a domestic cat trying to face off against a wild African lion.

I inadvertently let out a slightly hysterical giggle. "Oh, Steve, you have no idea. It's really okay. Everything is fine here, I promise. Um, do you two mind giving me a minute here? I'd like to get dressed before we continue this." Steve noticed for the first time that I was naked and his face turned beet red before he mumbled an apology and quickly stepped outside the room.

Ranger just gave me an almost smile before he reached down to haul me to my feet. I launched myself into his arms, wrapping my arms and legs around him in a whole body hug. "I missed you," I whispered into his neck. Ranger nuzzled his face into my hair and breathed deep, remaining silent. After a few minutes, I loosened my grip on him, sliding down his body until my feet were on the ground. Ranger gave me a swat on the ass and pointed me in the direction of my new closet.

"Get dressed. Much as I enjoy the view, now isn't the time."

I hurriedly pulled on some pretty undies and a pair of dark wash skinny jeans. I chose a stretchy blue scoop neck sweater and finished off the outfit with a pair of knee high low heeled brown leather boots. When I emerged from the closet, Ranger was gone. The lamp was back on the table and my towel was hanging neatly in the bathroom. There were no signs that just a few minutes ago Ranger and Steve were facing off in my bedroom. Did I imagine it? Maybe it was just wishful thinking that Ranger was here?

I made my way down the hall and down the stairs. When I reached the bottom, I heard low voices coming from the kitchen. I stood in the kitchen doorway and looked at the scene. Ranger and Steve were standing on opposite sides of the room and Steve was still glaring. Ranger just looked amused. I took a closer look at him, surreptitiously checking him out. He looked thinner and his face looked drawn. There were dark circles under his eyes and he hadn't shaved in days. I could see why Steve might think Ranger was a threat. He looked more dangerous than usual.

"You going to stand there all day looking, Babe, or are you gonna come in here so we can talk?" Ranger was still looking at Steve when he said it. Steve whipped his head around and seemed startled to see me there.

I decided a real introduction was in order here. "Ranger, this is my friend Steve. He lives next door and he's the contractor that's been working on my house. Steve's also helping me out on a project. Steve, this is Ranger. He owns a security business out East and he's been my, um, friend and mentor for several years." The two men nodded at each other. Steve stuck his hand out and Ranger just looked at me. I narrowed my eyes at him and he reluctantly shook Steve's hand. I pushed my way between them to reach the coffee pot. I poured myself a cup and doctored it to my liking before pouring two more cups for the guys. I plopped myself down at the kitchen table and the guys silently followed suit. This was getting ridiculous.

"What's going on, Babe? Why was Lester getting ready to fly out here?" I gave Ranger the whole story, finishing with Lester's plan to hand deliver copies of my security cameras' footage. Ranger placed a DVD case on the table and looked at Steve. "What's your role in this, Steve?"

"Moral support?" Steve questioned himself. "Oh, and I'm supposed to introduce Steph to my friends and family so that she can uh, how did you put it Steph? Insert yourself into the local gossip grapevine or something like that?"

"More or less, that's what I need. Steve and I canvassed the street yesterday and struck out. I want to visit Doris again this morning and see if I can get more details out of her. She was in some pain yesterday and I might get more out of her today. Not to mention, she's probably getting bored and lonely there in the hospital. I want to check the DVD to see if the cameras caught anything. Do you have any ideas, Ranger?"

"Sounds like a good start to me. Let me make a few calls before we go anywhere. I need to let some people know I'm back in the States. I pulled into the garage this morning just as Lester was getting ready to head out. When he told me where he was going, I told him I'd be going instead. I haven't even been in the building yet. We'll go to the hospital and check on your friend when I'm done with my calls." With that, he excused himself and disappeared into the house to complete his calls in private.

"Wow, Steph. Does he always just take charge like that?" I nodded absently, my mind was going giddy at the thought of spending the day with Ranger. "He's a scary guy," Steve continued, "I'm glad he's on your side and not the enemy."

I looked up at that comment and grinned at Steve. "Yeah, you don't want Ranger for an enemy. He's used to being in charge and he's scary smart, plus he's got the muscle to back everything up. He's a good guy though, Steve, I promise." Steve and I discussed a plan of action for him. When we finished, it was decided that Steve would get in touch with some of his buddies and his parents and siblings. He would try to arrange it so we could meet some of them out at a local bar to get acquainted and maybe set up a lunch date with some others.

We set the investigation discussion aside and Steve pulled out his plans for my house. We spent the next hour talking about Steve's ideas for the kitchen and the rest of the first floor. He told me about some plumbing issues he'd found in the original bathroom. We firmed up my plan to make the original bathroom as well as the series of rooms I'd used when I first moved in into a private apartment or mother-in-law suite.

Finally, Ranger reappeared. He'd taken the time to shower and shave, which decreased the scary factor a little bit. "Ready, Babe?" I grabbed my coat and purse and turned to Steve.

He correctly interpreted my expression. "I'm gonna stay here awhile longer and get a few things done. I'll make my calls after that and let you know what the social schedule looks like." I opened my mouth to reply when he continued, "And yes, I'll reset the alarm and lock the door behind me. I promise to be on the lookout when I leave so I don't get assaulted like Doris." He smirked at me and I rolled my eyes.

"Just be careful, Steve. See ya later!"

I led Ranger out to my Explorer. He just looked at me when I climbed into the drivers' seat. I rolled my eyes at him. "I'm driving. I know my way around here and you don't. Get over it." Ranger raised an eyebrow and dutifully settled himself in the passenger seat.

"I like the new confidence, Babe. It's sexy on you. I'll let you drive, for now. But later, we'll see. We still need to have a talk." He said the last with a wolf grin firmly in place.

I gulped and pointed the Explorer towards the hospital and Doris. I could feel my face flush and I resisted the urge to fan myself. All I could think was, "Holy hot flash, Batman!"


	20. Chapter 20

Author Note: As always, thank you for all the wonderful reviews and also everyone who is following or favorited my first story!

/

Janet Evanovich owns most of these characters. I'm just borrowing them.

Time Out

Ch20

Doris was thrilled when we showed up at the hospital. She was getting cranky sitting in a hospital. I couldn't blame her. I hate hospitals too. I introduced Ranger and repressed an eye roll when Doris fussed with her hair and giggled as Ranger gently shook her hand. Unfortunately, Doris didn't remember anything new about her attack. We chatted for awhile and I told her about my successful cookie baking. She was pleased I was taking her cooking and baking lessons beyond doing it only under her direct supervision. As Ranger and I said our goodbyes, I had a thought. "Doris, you've lived in Jacksonville a long time, right?"

"Yes, dear. All my life."

"I have an assignment for you, if that's okay." She nodded at me to continue. "I have some suspicions about the Price family. I now own the Price house. I think there's something going on with that since I know there were hard feelings between Aunt Elizabeth and the Price family. I want you to think back through your whole life and try to recall any gossip or rumors about the Price clan, no matter how minor it might seem. I'll leave you a notepad so you can jot down a few notes if you'd like. Will you do that for me?"

"Well, I can't do much else while I'm cooped up in this darn hospital. Leave your notepad and I'll try to remember what I can. I'm pretty old you know. Some things are a bit hazy, especially if they didn't concern me or my family directly. I'll give it a try though."

"That's all I can ask of you, Doris. I appreciate it."

"I appreciate you taking me seriously and helping me with this. You're a good friend, Stephanie." I promised to return the next day and Ranger and I took our leave.

/

After we climbed back into the Explorer, I turned to look at Ranger. "What now, Batman?"

"This is your show, Babe."

"When was the last time you slept? Or ate? Don't take this the wrong way, but you don't look so good."

"You're not wrong. I can't really talk about it, but things didn't go so well on this mission. I haven't slept more than two hours at a time in weeks. I haven't eaten since yesterday."

"That settles it. We're going back to the house and I'll fix you some food and then you're going to sleep awhile. I can watch the DVD footage while you're sleeping." I got a single raised eyebrow in response to my statement. Shrugging my shoulders, I started the car and drove out of the hospital parking lot, all the while racking my brain with what to cook for Ranger. My cooking skills have improved, but Doris mostly taught me traditional meals that were kind of heavy. Ranger likes rabbit food and other healthy fare. This might tax my culinary skills. I decided to swing by County Market and pick up a few things. It wasn't on the way home exactly, but I knew there wasn't much in my kitchen that Ranger would allow into his 'temple'.

An hour later, I dumped a bag of mixed greens into a bowl on the kitchen table. I cooked some wild rice (okay it was the microwave minute rice kind) and baked some chicken breasts. It all looked pretty bland and boring to me, but it was the best I could do, healthy wise. Ranger had been in the former library or study, catching up on work while I did my domestic goddess thing. I called him into the kitchen so he could eat. He looked at the table and looked at me.

"Is it safe?" I narrowed my eyes. Now I wasn't claiming to be a gourmet chef by any means, but I wasn't as bad as he was making it sound. Okay, so maybe I was that bad in the past, but this is the new me. I chose to be offended.

"Of course it's safe," I huffed. I then conceded, "It probably won't have a lot of flavor, and it definitely isn't up to Ella standards, but unless you want to pollute your temple, this is the healthiest I can do. Doris has been teaching me to cook."

"I'm teasing, Stephanie. Thank you for cooking for me, especially cooking something outside your comfort zone. I'm sure it will be good." We ate in silence and afterwards Ranger helped me clean up the kitchen. After the last dish was dried, Ranger pulled me into his chest. "You did well on this meal. Proud of you, Babe." I smiled into his shirt. Ranger's praise always makes me feel warm and fuzzy.

I pushed away from his chest and looked up at him. "Nap time, Batman. I need you rested and well."

"Yes, ma'am," he smirked.

"Smartass," I replied. "Find a bed and get some rest. I have a lot of camera footage to watch."

/

Two hours later, I was ready for a nap myself. Life on my street was not very exciting to watch, even when it's slightly fastforwarded. I had watched Doris' attack first thing and was pretty sure the suspect was a woman going by size and the way the person moved. The person arrived on foot from out of camera range, so either they walked to the house or the car was parked down the street a ways. I didn't see any cars driving in camera range just before or after the attack. With the winter weather, most people are pretty bundled up so I couldn't really tell if any of the people walking down the street in the days before Doris' attack were the suspect and none of them lingered in front of the house. It was frustrating, to say the least.

Thinking maybe Lester saw something I missed, I called him for his input. He didn't notice anything more than I did, so that was a bust. We chatted for awhile and he told me he was disappointed he didn't get a little vacation from the office to come help me. I missed Les too, but I was very happy to see Ranger in his place. I let out a yawn and leaned against the arm of the couch, thinking maybe I'd just rest my eyes a minute while thinking of what to do next.

I came awake with a start and realized I was in the dark. I must have 'rested my eyes' a little longer than I'd intended. I heard voices in the kitchen and made my way towards them, trying to rub the crick out of my neck. Steve and Ranger were sitting at the kitchen table, talking. Well, it appeared Steve was doing most of the talking. Ranger's attention was fixated on his laptop, so he just nodded periodically in response to Steve's words.

"Hi guys!" I chirped as I pulled a Coke out of the fridge. I popped the top on the can and took a long swallow. I pulled a package of Oreo's out of the pantry and boosted myself up to sit on the counter.

"That stuff'll kill you, Babe."

"I think I'm safe for today. So what'd I miss, you two?"

"I'm having the office run searches on some of the members of the Price family. You know it takes awhile for them to run, I haven't heard anything yet."

I looked at Steve next and he offered, "We are meeting my sister and brother-in-law and a few friends at the Irish Toad tonight. Pizza and beer should break the ice, I hope." He paused for a moment and continued, "If that's okay with you guys, of course. Maybe I should have waited to finalize plans until I talked to you."

Shooting Steve a reassuring smile, I replied, "No, it's a good plan! Thanks for setting it up, Steve." I munched one of my Oreo's before continuing. "I watched the DVD Lester made of my cameras' surveillance footage. I'm pretty sure Doris' attacker was a woman, but I couldn't get any details. There were no suspicious vehicles, no people lingering in front of the house, nothing. So, that was a bust." Steve stood up and made his way towards the door. He said he had a few things to do before going out tonight and that he'd meet us at the bar later.

/

After Steve was gone, Ranger looked up from his laptop. It's hard to read his expressions sometimes, but he didn't look very pleased. "What's up Ranger?"

His voice was low. "This has been bothering me since I got here this morning and you have yet to say anything. I've waited for you to explain all day, but you haven't. Can you explain how you happened to end up owning a house and living in Jacksonville, Illinois? You told me you were going on a road trip. You said nothing about moving halfway across the country and starting a new life."

Oops. I'd forgotten my decision to not tell anyone except my family about the inheritance. "I'm sorry, living in this house was never in my plans. I can explain," I stated and proceeded to give him the whole story about inheriting Aunt Elizabeth's estate and the inheritance prompting me to make a decision to figure out my life. I told him almost everything that happened from the day he went 'in the wind' until now. I even retrieved my lap top from the living room so I could show him some of the 'before and after' pictures of the house so he'd know I wasn't exagerrating about it's condition.

"Do you and this Steve guy have something going on?"

"No! Steve is my neighbor, contractor, and also a friend. Nothing more than that. Why, are you jealous?" I knew I was pushing it with that last comment, but I was also starting to get annoyed.

"Babe."

"Don't 'Babe' me, Ranger. How am I supposed to know? When you left all those months ago, you said we'd talk when you got back. You didn't give me any hint about a potential future with me. I was thrilled to see you this morning and I still am, but you've done nothing more physical than a few hugs and a swat the butt on my way to my closet, all in a platonic friends kind of way. I love you, but you confuse me and make me doubt myself. I don't like that feeling, Ranger."

"It's complicated," he started.

"No, it's really not. I don't want to fight with you and we don't have time for it anyway. I need to freshen up before I go to this little meet and greet at the Irish Toad. Are you joining me or do you want to stay here?"

"Oh, I'm going. I'm not about to let you out of my sight until we finish this conversation." Ranger was across the kitchen in about two strides and before I knew it he was standing between my legs. I was still sitting on the counter which put our faces level with each other. He looked me in the eye, muttered something under his breath, and then his lips crashed down on mine. Instantly heat melted my bones to goo and fire shot through my veins. Oh yeah, the chemistry was still there. My hormones, which had been dormant for so many months, jumped to life. It was a pretty excellent kiss, and both of us were breathing hard when we broke apart. "Don't doubt me, Stephanie. I always want you. But it is complicated, even if you think it's not. We'll talk more tonight when we get back here and figure it out." He jerked away from me and stalked back to the table.

I stared at him, and I'm pretty sure I even drooled a bit. Finally I snapped back to attention and slid off the counter. I ran upstairs to freshen my makeup and brush my teeth. This bar was pretty casual so I didn't need to change clothes. Five minutes later, I was buttoned into my coat and waiting in the front hall for Ranger to join me. He appeared from the back of the house, now dressed in faded blue jeans paired with the black sweater he'd been wearing all day. He shrugged on a black wool pea coat and opened the door for me. I set the alarm and locked up. "Is it okay if I drive again?" I asked quietly.

"Why not," he replied and repeated his line from earlier in the day, "this is your show, Babe." Ranger gave me a small smile and instantly I began to feel better after our almost-fight. We climbed into the Explorer and I impulsively leaned over the console and gave him a quick peck on the lips. He tugged on one of my curls and pushed it behind my ear. I started the Explorer and the five minute drive was spent in comfortable silence. I parked on the street and we made our way into the bar. Steve stood up and waved us to a big table near the back of the long, narrow room. The table was nearly full, it looks like we were the last ones to arrive even though we weren't late. I breathed deep and smiled at Steve. I grabbed Ranger's hand, towing him towards the back of the room. It was showtime and I needed to gather intel to help find my friend's attacker.


	21. Chapter 21

Janet Evanovich owns most of these characters. I'm just borrowing them

Time Out

Ch21

Intel gathering turned out to be pretty fun with this crowd. Three hours passed easily and by the time we all stood up to go home, I knew I'd made some new friends. I'd promised Steve's sister, Sara, that I'd attend the Jacksonville Symphony concert over the weekend and the little cocktail after-party. Sara was a violinist. Her husband was an accountant and seemed to know a lot about a lot of people in town. Steve's buddies were also helpful in sharing gossip. Most of them were involved in the construction business in some way (plumbers, electricians, roofers), and came into contact with a wide variety of people. I told them right off the bat about Doris' attack and my suspicions about the Price family and they were appalled that someone would treat an old lady like that. All seemed eager to be helpful and I think they all had visions of playing Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys. Hopefully I didn't create a monster here!

Once we returned home, I turned to Ranger. "So..." I started. He just looked at me. I sighed. "Do you want to finish our conversation from earlier tonight or should we wait until the morning?"

"Babe, I'm tired. The nap this afternoon helped, but I'm still tired. It's not that I'm avoiding this, because that's not the case. I thought about this every day that I was gone. I just think I'll do a better job of getting it out if we wait."

"Fair enough. Are you sleeping with me or would you like your own bedroom?"

"With you, of course."

"Alrighty then. Where's your stuff? I noticed it wasn't in my room when I was up there earlier."

"I left my bag in one of those little rooms at the back of the house that looks like you were using it as a bedroom. Why aren't there closets?"

"Exactly, that was my problem. That's one reason I had to hire Steve. This house had twelve plus bedrooms, just one bathroom, and no closets. It was ridiculous. Anyway, get your stuff. I call first dibs on the bathroom." I hurried up the stairs and started peeling off my clothes the minute I got to my bedroom. I grabbed some flannel pajama pants and a tank top and hustled into the bathroom for a quick shower. I had no intention of getting involved in anything with Ranger tonight, but didn't want to go to bed stinky either. By the time I walked out of the bathroom, Ranger was already in bed. I climbed in on my side and turned off the lamp. He reached out and pulled me into his arms and I instantly relaxed. The last thing I remembered before falling asleep was thinking this was the best way to sleep, wrapped in Ranger's arms.

/

I woke up the next morning and basked for a moment, wrapped in the arms of my own personal heater. We were on our sides, with Ranger's front pressed to my back. My basking was rudely interrupted when nature called. I attempted to scoot out of Ranger's arms without waking him up, but quickly discovered it wasn't going to happen. Ranger had a death grip on me that tightened every time I attempted to move. I whispered for him to let me go and he mumbled in his sleep, "No, never letting go, Babe. You're mine now." Aw, that made me giddy, and I happily thought about his statement for a moment before nature called more urgently.

"Ranger," I said more loudly. "I have to get up. I'll be right back, I promise, but you have to let me go." He startled a bit and his arms relaxed. I darted to the bathroom and completed my business. After brushing my teeth and doing my best to tame my bed head, I crawled back into bed. Ranger was awake now and sitting propped up against the headboard. He opened his arms and I leaned against him so he could wrap me up again.

"How do you feel?" I asked.

"Better. It'll take a few days, but I feel better."

I hadn't paid much attention last night, but this morning I took a good look at his bare chest. It was heavily bruised on one side and there was a line of stitches going down his ribs. I lightly traced my fingers over the bruise and he let out a light hiss. "Was it bad?"

"I've had worse. The rest will help."

"How long can you stay here with me?"

"How long do you want me here?"

"As long as you can give me. I know you have a business to run, but Tank does a good job while you're gone and it looks like you could use a little R&R. Jacksonville isn't exactly a sunny beach somewhere, but you can still get a little relaxation in here. Life moves slow here and generally nothing ever happens."

"You like it here."

"I do, but it isn't home. I want to return to Trenton, but I don't hate it here like I thought I would. Will you stay awhile?"

"Yes. I'd like to work on a relationship with you, but Steph, it won't be easy."

"I know. I'm not foolish enough to think it'll be all sunshine and roses but I'd rather try than never give it a shot."

"Babe, I know I've fed you a lot of lines over the years. Most of them hit pretty close to the truth. My life really doesn't lend itself to relationships. I'm not saying it can't happen, but it'll be hard. I own a business with offices up and down the East Coast. Periodically I have to leave on government missions that I can't talk about. I've made enemies over the years that would love to hurt me and mine."

"The thing is, Ranger, my life doesn't really lend itself to relationships either. My life hasn't exactly been normal over the past several years. I attract enemies all on my own, so danger isn't anything new to me. I'm not looking for a ring or kids. I'm not sure I'll ever want that. I'm looking for someone to share my life with, someone to tell about my successes at the end of the day, and someone to hold me when something goes wrong." I thought for a minute and added, "How about we go slow and just take it one day at a time? Or is that too cheesy?"

"I think it sounds like a plan." He quickly maneuvered us so I was facing him. He looked in my eyes and ever so slowly lowered his mouth to mine. This wasn't a demanding kiss, it was more gentle. It went on and on and almost seemed like a promise. Finally we broke apart and I could feel what had to be a goofy grin spread across my face. Ranger, of course, would never have a 'goofy' grin but he did give me his blinding 200 watt smile.

/

I impulsively decided to put the investigation on hold for the day. I texted Steve and told him to stay away. Ranger and I were going to hang out and not leave the house. I was somewhat surprised that Ranger went along with it. I figured he'd be chomping at the bit with the inactivity. Instead, we spent the morning in bed, talking about everything and nothing. It was nice to not feel rushed. The time I've spent with Ranger in the past was usually a stolen moment or two, and there was always something going on in the background. This felt like it was just us and nothing else.

By noon, my stomach was rumbling loudly. Ranger chuckled and covered my stomach with a large hand. "Time to feed the beast, Babe."

We took the party downstairs and raided the kitchen. I started the coffee and visited with Rex while Ranger rummaged through the fridge. We ended up eating bacon and egg sandwiches. I raised my brows at him. "The temple can take the day off," I got in reply. I smiled and offered him an Oreo and he actually took it! I was missing my Tastycakes, so Oreo's had been filling the void for several months now. After lunch we toured the house with my laptop displaying the 'before' photos so he could see all the work that Steve had accomplished. I told him about my plans for the rest of the renovation. I told him about all things I'd been doing during my time in Jackonville, the self defense classes, yoga, running, cooking lessons, and art classes.

For dinner, we decided to order pizza in lieu of cooking something. I promised him Leo's had the best pizza in town and we had a couple Coronas with the pizza. Finally, the conversation turned to the investigation. I was somewhat surprised that we'd managed to avoid talking about it all day. I know I said I was putting it on hold, but didn't really think we'd make it the whole day without discussing it.

Ranger suggested that instead of focusing on 'who', we should look at 'why'. Why would someone want to get into the house, especially after most of the valuable items were removed? We tossed ideas back and forth and I grabbed a notepad to start jotting stuff down. Maybe it was a random burglary. Maybe someone, like the Price family, wanted to vandalize the inside of the house or set it on fire or something. Maybe there was something in the house that the Price's wanted. I thought we were entering Nancy Drew territory here, but maybe there was some deep dark secret hidden somewhere in the house.

The last one actually hit me as being plausible and I got a little tingle out of my spidey sense when I thought about it. Most of the valuable stuff was gone, and it left in a pretty obvious way, since a big container had been parked on the street in front of the house for a few days. What if there was something hidden in the house somewhere? Steve had a dumpster parked in the driveway and a little sign in the yard advertising his company. It was pretty clear work was being done in the house. The house was old and maybe something was secreted away a long time ago and with the construction work, someone was afraid Steve or I would find it. The thing is, the house is already half renovated and no mysteries have been revealed. The mysterious something would have to be hidden on the ground floor or in the basement, if it existed at all. I was lost in thought, chewing on the pen cap when Ranger spoke up. "I smell something burning, Babe." I told him my theory, and you could tell he kind of wanted to roll his eyes but to his credit he didn't laugh.

"Think about it. Why break in to set a fire or vandalize the place? You could do that from the outside. The woman, whoever she was, wanted to be in the house. She didn't have a car close by, so burglary would be difficult. It's hard to carry off a TV on foot without transportation close by. I think she was looking for something. What it is, I don't know."

"Hopefully your new gossip grapevine will kick into effect and we'll get intel on the Price family. They do seem to be the likely suspects. I'll check with the office tomorrow. Those searches I ordered should be done. But for now, we're done." I gave him a questioning look. He gave me his best wolf grin and replied, "I'm done thinking about the investigation. I'm now thinking about something else I'd much rather be doing. Something we haven't done in quite awhile."

I blushed and gasped as he swept me up and over his shoulder and carried me up the stairs to the bedroom. "Your ribs!" I cried.

"They're fine. I'm motivated here, you wouldn't move fast enough." I shrieked as he tossed me on the bed and pounced on me. My shrieks quickly turned to moans as Ranger worked that magic I remembered from before. The investigation was forgotten for the rest of the night.


	22. Chapter 22

Janet Evanovich owns most of these characters. I'm just borrowing them.

Time Out

Ch22

I woke up feeling pretty darn refreshed and looking forward to the day. I've never been a morning person and usually have to drag myself out of bed to get the day started. Not today. It was amazing what a Ranger-induced orgasm could do for my outlook on life. I bounced out of bed and tended to business. This was probably the first time I could recall being awake before Ranger. I dressed in workout gear and quietly made my way downstairs to make coffee. While it was brewing, I dropped a few raisins and some hamster crunchies into Rex's food dish and refreshed his water bottle. I filled Rex in on the results of the relationship conversation. "So, Rex, Ranger's gonna stay with us for a while. Won't that be cool? You'll probably love him too. His eating habits are close to yours." Rex chewed his raisin and blinked his little eyes in response. I think that means he's happy Ranger is staying too.

"Babe, my eating habits don't resemble the rat's."

I jumped a foot and whirled around. "Jeez, make some noise! And he's not a rat, he's a hamster. You'll give him a complex." I swear Ranger actually rolled his eyes at me.

"So what's the plan for today?"

"Well, I need to go for a run. After that I have a kickboxing class. Then I need to visit Doris. I'll figure out the rest of the day later. What's on your agenda?"

"A run, Babe? Is this the same woman I used to have to drag out of bed kicking and screaming just to run, only to have her throw up on me partway through?"

"Ha, ha. This is the new me, bud. I do five miles a few times a week, but it's not a fast five miles. You can come with me, but you can't complain about the speed and if you want to go farther, you're on your own."

"I can do that. Speed isn't important right now, my ribs are still healing anyway. Where do you do your kickboxing again?

"I have a YMCA membership. I can get you a guest pass if you want to hit the weight room while I'm in my class." Ranger nodded in agreement and disappeared through the kitchen door, to put on his running gear. Five miles later, I was wheezing and red-faced and Ranger didn't look like he'd even broken a sweat. How is that? I'd been running for months and I had yet to figure out how to finish looking as fresh as when I started. After our trip to the Y, we came back to shower. It was a joint shower, it's important to conserve water of course, and I emerged with a healthy glow that had nothing to do with my fancy new shower. Ranger decided to stay home while I visited Doris, in an effort to catch up on work long distance.

/

I decided to get Doris a little pick-me-up before I visited her. A stop at the Donut Place resulted in a single donut with chocolate icing and cheerful rainbow sprinkles for her and a Boston Creme for me. I wasn't sure what her dietary restrictions were in the hospital, but one little donut couldn't hurt, and I knew she needed a good dose of happy. I met Steve in the parking lot. He'd just finished visiting with Doris. We chatted for a few minutes before I went inside. He told me he was planning to get some work done at my house today so I told him Ranger was at home so he wouldn't freak out. I sent Ranger a text to let him know Steve would be showing up soon so he'd have a heads up too. Doris was happy to have another visitor, and I felt slightly guilty that I didn't visit her the day before. When I pulled the wax paper wrapped contraband out of my purse, she perked right up. Rainbow sprinkled donuts tend to have that effect on most people I know, except for Ranger, but everyone knows he doesn't know much about good eating.

Doris pushed her notepad across the tray table towards me. "Alright Miss Plum, I've done my homework assignment. Do you want to review it now?" she asked with a twinkle in her eye.

Doris' notes contained some 'Burg worthy gossip. The notes read like something out of a soap opera. Scandals, legal troubles, affairs, money woes, secret babies, you name it and Doris noted it. "Is all this true about the Price family?"

"Well, you didn't ask me for hard truths, you asked for rumors. That's what I wrote down. Some of it's probably true, there usually is at least a grain of truth in most rumors."

"Are these in chronological order by chance? Can you give me a time frame for this stuff?" Doris took the notepad back and started writing in the margins. While she was revising her work, I explained my new theory about maybe something secret being hidden in my house. I told her that probably we didn't need any of the stuff that happened after Elizabeth came to live in the Price house. After that, Doris started crossing off large portions of her notes. When she finished, we were left with a much smaller list of rumors.

Doris started her commentary, "My daddy once mentioned that the Price family made a lot of money during Prohibition. They had money before that, but their fortunes had started to decline. Prohibition really gave them a boost. One of the Price men around that time had a lot of trouble with the law and it was rumored that he was involved with some of the big time gangsters up in Chicago. The family lost most of its money during the Depression. Elizabeth's husband made a fortune during WWII doing something related to the military's supply system. He supposedly had a huge falling out with his family, when they kept hounding him for more and more money. He owned the family home and kicked them all out and boarded the place up. He left town and started traveling. He met Elizabeth and they married, but she never came to Jacksonville until after he died which is when she came to live in the Price house."

This was some good stuff. I knew I would need to do some verification on most parts of her story, but I knew more now than when I started today. Doris and I visited for another hour before I stood up to leave. I had things to do and Doris was starting to look a little tired. I thanked her for her help and promised to return with another donut soon.

/

I hopped in the Explorer and made a stop at the grocery store before going home. Ranger wouldn't want to keep polluting his temple so I decided to stock up on some healthy food I wouldn't have to cook. I needed more Oreo's anyway. When I got home, I juggled several bags of groceries for a minute trying to get a hand free to unlock the door before I finally gave up and gave the door a few healthy kicks. A few seconds later Ranger opened the door and smiled. "Ever heard of making more than one trip, Babe? Or maybe asking for help?"

"Here, will you help?" I asked with a smirk and shoved a few bags at him.

"Smartass." He dutifully followed me into the kitchen and started unpacking my purchases. "Did you buy this stuff for me, Stephanie? It doesn't look like stuff you'd eat, except for the Oreos of course."

"I don't really have Ranger food in the house. I knew you wouldn't want to pollute your temple every day and while I like eating out, I don't want to do it for every meal."

"Thank you, you didn't need to buy me groceries. I know healthy food isn't cheap. I could have gotten stuff."

"No worries, Ranger. Mi casa es tu casa. Plus, I don't really have money issues anymore. I think I can afford to feed you."

Ranger pressed a kiss to my temple. "Still, this was thoughtful. Thank you." I turned my head slightly so I could capture Ranger's lips with my own. Just as our kiss was getting interesting, a throat cleared behind us. We broke apart and I rested my head on Ranger's chest, trying to catch my breath.

"Uh, sorry guys. I can come back later," Steve said sheepishly.

"No, you're fine Steve. I wanted to talk to you both anyway. Doris gave me some good dirt today and I used my iPhone to record her story. I'll play it for you and Ranger and then we can talk about it." I played the recording while we sat around the kitchen table. After it was finished, I raised my eyebrows at the guys. "So, what do you think?"

"It's an interesting story, Babe, but it's a story. We need to deal in hard truth. Do you think you can find a way to prove any of this?"

"I was thinking I could visit the library and maybe the historical society and try to get some real facts. Steve, what do you think about my theory that something is hidden in the house?"

"Well, I pretty much tore up the whole second floor to get rid of all those small rooms and create closets and bathrooms. I can guarantee there wasn't anything hidden up there. There isn't anything in the attic either. I haven't done much down here and I've done nothing to the basement. I wasn't planning on doing that much demolition on the ground floor. Most of it is going to be cosmetic work except for the kitchen. I'd really rather not tear into the walls and destroy the plaster if I can avoid it. I like to do as much historical preservation as possible. If you can get some concrete proof of where something is hidden, that would be best. Of course, this is your house so you can do whatever you want."

"No, you're right Steve. I don't want to tear up my house unnecessarily. Let me do some research before we go treasure hunting. But at the same time, keep your eyes open for anything potentially weird while you're working on the ground floor and in the basement. Please?"

"That shouldn't be a problem. I promise to keep my eyes open. Now I'm going to change the subject. I've got the measurements for the kitchen and I've done a layout on my laptop. Look it over to make sure everything is where you want it and then you need to pick all the finishes so I can get stuff ordered." Ooh, shopping. I was in my element. Okay, so I'm not a goddess in the kitchen, but it was definitely fun to pick stuff out. Steve and I went back and forth on design ideas, trying to make the kitchen modern but still fitting in with the history of the house. I think Ranger had us tuned out, because he was busy doing something on his laptop. Finally all my choices were approved by Steve and marked down so he could get them ordered. Steve called it a day and took off.

Ranger shut down his laptop and looked at me. "What's next?"

I looked at the clock on the wall. I had just enough time to make it to a Krav Maga class in Springfield if we hurried. "How about we drive to Springfield so I can go to my Krav Maga class and then we can go out to eat over there? I also want to stop at Macy's and try to find a dress for the symphony. Is that okay?

"Sounds like a plan. I'd like to see what you've learned. I could do without the trip to Macy's, but I'm willing to negotiate." The last was said with an almost smile and, yes, that looks like a leer. Oh boy. I fanned myself and ran up the stairs, leaving Ranger laughing in the kitchen. I put on workout gear and packed a duffel bag with clothes for after my class. I clattered back down the steps and shrugged on my coat.

Ranger was waiting in the hall, "Let's hit the road. And just so you know, I'm driving this time."


	23. Chapter 23

Author Note: Thanks as always for the great reviews, as well as the favorites and follows!

/

Janet Evanovich owns most of these characters. I'm just borrowing them.

Time Out

Ch23

It turned out that watching me and my fellow students attempt to beat the crap out of each other was a turn on for Ranger. He was all over me during our late dinner at the LongHorn Steakhouse by White Oaks Mall. It was a little weird, because Ranger usually wasn't in to overt PDA. We didn't have enough time before the mall closed to go to Macy's, so shopping would have to wait. That was good, because by the time our meal was done, I was very ready to go home and finish what Ranger started.

The next morning, I wanted to pull the covers over my head and sleep in. I didn't get much sleep the night before. Ranger yanked the covers back and dragged me to my feet. "Let's go, Babe. Time to run. Coffee's already made."

"Uh, no. Today's a yoga day. You're on your own with the running. My class is at the Y if you want to come with me. You can do the treadmill and weights thing while I'm in my class turning myself into a pretzel." Ranger agreed with that plan and after we finished our coffee we headed to the Y. After our workouts, we returned home to clean up.

"So what's your plan today, Stephanie?" Ranger asked as we ate breakfast. I was eating Frosted Flakes. Ranger was eating a plain grapefruit and fat free, no flavor yogurt topped with granola. All I could say to that menu was, eeuw.

"I want to check in on Doris and then I'm going to the library to do a little research. What are you doing today?"

"I can go with you, if you want."

"I love hanging out with you, but don't you have work to do? I'm just happy to spend time with you every day. I don't want you to feel like we should be joined at the hip or something."

"Trust me, it's no hardship to be joined at the hip to you. However, there is plenty of work to catch up on. How about we meet up later and go back to Springfield so you can get your dress?" I was surprised he was volunteering to go shopping with me, but wasn't about to complain. I agreed to the plan and told him I'd call him later. After a long goodbye kiss involving lots of tongue, I was out the door.

When I got to the hospital, Doris had some relatively good news to share. She would be moving to a nursing home so she could start her physical therapy. Neither of our houses were especially accessible for someone with a broken hip and riding in a car every day to physical therapy would be pretty uncomfortable for her. The nursing home was a good transitional place where she could get the therapy in house and still have trained medical people there to help her if she needed anything. Hopefully it wouldn't be long before she could come home for good. Doris also told me her grandson, her only family, had finally been able to call her. He was trying to see what he needed to do be able to get home from Afghanistan to help her out but it would probably be a while before he got everything straight with the military. I could tell that both pieces of news had done wonders for her mood. We visited for a bit longer, before I told her I needed to go to the library to do some research on the gossip she'd shared the day before.

/

I made my way through town to the Jacksonville Public Library, located on College Avenue near the square. The friendly librarian at the main counter directed me on what I needed to do to access the microfilm machines so I could look at old newspapers. Before I knew it, three hours had passed and I had several pages of notes. A lot of what Doris told could actually be backed up by the newspaper articles I found.

The Price family made the society pages frequently over the years. The paper reported that the police did a raid on the Price house during Prohibition, acting on a tip that the house had been turned into a speak easy, but nothing was found when they arrived. One of the Price men really was associated with some Chicago gangsters and spent time in and out of jail. One article covered one of his trials for a bank robbery for which he was subsequently acquitted. The society pages mentioned the loss of the family fortune during the Depression and then there was no mention of any of them for several years after that. Years later, the paper did a front page spread on Elizabeth's husband and his lucrative deal with the military during the war. There was more I wanted to look at but I felt like my eyes were about to cross from the reading and my stomach felt like it was about to eat itself. I wrapped up what I was doing and gathered my notes to stuff them in my purse.

On my way out, I thanked the librarian for her help and asked her opinion on a good place for lunch. I'd been in town for several months, but I still liked to ask people about restaurants. Today she told me about Mulligan's a bar that served good food about a block away up on the square. I'd never been there so decided to give it a shot. I walked the short distance to the bar and immediately felt comfortable when I walked in. It was mid-afternoon and the place was deserted. I ordered a plate of Irish Nachos and a Coke and pulled out my notes while I was waiting for my food. I wondered to myself why the cops didn't find anything when they did their raid on the Price house. Was the tip about the speak easy bogus or did the family have advance notice so they could clear the place out? Maybe the liquor stash was hidden somewhere in the house? What about the bank robbery guy? The guy was acquitted but he had known ties to some shady people. I wonder if the money was ever found. I mulled it all over while I munched on my very yummy food. You can't go wrong with waffle fries, lots of cheese sauce, bacon, and onions. Finally I pushed the plate away. I was stuffed and I only ate about two thirds of it. I guess it was meant for people to share.

/

I called Ranger to tell him I was done for the day and on my way home. When I arrived, he greeted me at the door with a kiss. "Are you ready to go now or do you need to do something to get ready?"

"You seem to be in a hurry, Batman. I can be ready as I am now, but what's the rush?"

"Steve has been here working. The sound of his power tools keeps breaking my concentration. I may have to find another place to work while he's in the house. All I want to do is get out of this house right now." Come to think of it, Ranger did look a little stressed, or about as stressed as he's willing to show anyone.

I took his hand and pulled him toward the door. "Let's go. Maybe watching me try on dresses will be a little more relaxing." I think it said something about the annoying power tools, that Ranger seemed eager to go shopping with me. About half an hour later, we were parked in front of Macy's. "Okay, the mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find me a dress for the symphony this weekend. The look is classy and understated. It can't be too short or too flashy. I don't want to look frumpy though. Do you think we can do this?" I was only sort of teasing him.

"Yes ma'am. I guarantee this will be a successful mission. Let's go in and do some recon. Then we'll gather some possibles and take them to the dressing room. You'll try them on and we'll choose the most likely dress to achieve your objective. What do you think?"

I laughed and replied, "Alright, you took that farther than I thought you would. It does sound like a good plan, though." We entered the store and headed towards the women's department. Ten minutes later, Ranger had three dresses for me to try. I tried each on and modelled them for Ranger, who was sitting in a chair outside the dressing room. After I changed back into my own clothes, I brought all three dresses back out with me. "So?"

"The middle dress is the best choice. You look hot in it, but it doesn't actually show much, and it doesn't have too much of the sparkly stuff." I actually agreed with him. It was a black dress with long sleeves and a fairly high neck. The full skirt came to about an inch above my knees. The sleeves were tight and the bodice was tight until just below my breasts where it started to flare out. There was a narrow band right under my breasts that had tiny iridescent black beads, so it had a little bling, but not too much. I knew I had shoes that would go with it, so all I had to purchase was the dress. I had a little panic attack when I saw the price, but took a deep breath and headed for the counter to complete my purchase. I still wasn't used to buying what I wanted, regardless of cost. It was probably one of the quickest shopping trips I'd ever been on.

After our shopping trip, Ranger and I ate at an Italian place on the way out of town called Bella Milano. I told him about my day while we ate. He was dutifully impressed with my research results. Stuffed full to the gills for the second time that day, I fell asleep on the way back to Jacksonville. I woke up as Ranger lifted me out of the car. "I can walk!" I said groggily.

"Let me carry you, Babe." It didn't take more than that to convince my sleepy brain and I relaxed against him. He carried me upstairs and gently placed me on the bed. By then, I was completely awake. Ranger saw this and leaned in to give me a kiss. "Do I need to help relax you back to sleep?" I nodded with a smile but said nothing. Ranger slowly undressed me and then himself and soon after had me melting into the bed. I fell asleep totally blissed out, snuggled into Ranger.


	24. Chapter 24

Janet Evanovich owns a lot of these characters. I'm just borrowing them.

Time Out

Ch24

The Jacksonville Symphony was performing tonight and afterwards there was a cocktail type thing. I'd promised Steve's sister, Sara, that I would attend. Classical music wasn't really my thing, but I knew Ranger would probably enjoy it. Over the past few days, he and I had settled into an almost domestic little routine. We'd work out in the morning and eat breakfast together. After that, we'd go our separate ways for several hours. I'd visit Doris and work on my little investigation. Ranger would hide somewhere in the house to try to get in some long distance work. He was constantly trying to find a place to get away from the noise of Steve doing his construction thing. In the evenings we'd be back together for dinner and TV watching before going to bed. It was disconcerting how easy it was to live with Ranger.

I had just finished styling my hair and applying makeup when Ranger walked into the bathroom. I dropped my mascara wand when I saw him in the mirror behind me. "Wow," I breathed. "I didn't realize you'd brought a suit with you."

"I had Ella send it out along with some other clothes. So, you like what you see?"

That would be an understatement. Ranger was dressed in a custom tailored designer suit and looked like he should be on the cover of a magazine. He looked absolutely droolworthy, and he knew it. I didn't want to inflate his ego any more than necessary, so I replied as nonchalantly as possible, "Looks pretty good, Batman."

I stepped past him towards the closet so I could finish getting dressed. I dropped the robe, knowing he was watching. I slowly slid my new dress into place and looked over my shoulder, "Zip me up?" Ranger's eyes turned black and he was behind me in three quick strides. He took his time with the zipper and by the time he was finished, I was ready to rip all our clothes off and skip the symphony.

Ranger released me and stepped back. "Put your shoes on, Babe. We don't want to be late." This should teach me not to play games with Ranger. He had way more control than I ever would. I blinked several times and took a shuddering breath. Shoes, where were my shoes? My brain was totally frazzled from our little encounter. Ranger smirked and picked up my black heels. He handed them to me and asked if I needed any more help. I shook my head, not trusting my voice. I slipped on the heels, the ones I'd purchased in Trenton at Christmas. When we got downstairs, Ranger helped me slip on my coat and then opened my car door for me when we got outside.

We had reservations at Muggsy's for dinner before the concert. I stuffed myself full of filet mignon and baked potato. Only fifteen minutes into the concert, I was regretting the heavy meal. I needed a nap and all that food was making it worse. I fidgeted on the hard bench and looked around. The concert was being held at Rammelkamp Chapel on the grounds of Illinois College. I studied the musicians, finally picking Sara out of the crowd of violinists. I studied the architecture of the building. I spent time looking at the really big pipe organ behind the musicians, trying hard to suppress my yawns. A quick look at Ranger showed that he was engrossed in the performance. At least one of us was happy. Finally, it was over. Ranger stood and helped me to my feet. We moved to another building on campus where the cocktail reception was held.

I scanned the room and spotted one of the ladies from my pottery making workshop. I made my way over to her and we chatted for a bit. I introduced Ranger and she in turn introduced me to the group with whom she was visiting. My classmate wanted to know if I'd received my invitation for the art gallery reception. I had, but wasn't planning on going until I realized it would be another good networking opportunity. After a while I saw Sara and her husband enter the room. Ranger and I made our way over to her and Ranger complimented Sara on her performance in the concert. Something caught Sara's eye and she gave me a devious little smile. "Come with me," she said and Ranger and I followed her across the room.

Sara tapped a man on the shoulder. "Gary Holmes, is that you?" she asked with a smile. Mr. Holmes turned around in surprise and smiled when he saw Sara.

"Hello Sara. What a lovely concert."

"Thank you. Have you met my friends, Ranger and Stephanie?" Holmes blanched a bit when he saw me.

I gave him a little finger wave. "Mr. Holmes and I have met. He was the lawyer who handled my aunt's estate. Are you here alone tonight, Mr. Holmes?"

"Um, n-no. Let me introduce to my w-wife, Jane. Jane, this is Stephanie Plum, Elizabeth Price's great niece." Holmes' face was turning red. Hmm, I wondered what this was all about.

"Mrs. Holmes, it's a pleasure to meet you. Your husband was very helpful to me after my aunt's death." I smiled and stuck out my hand. Jane looked at me like I was a piece of garbage. She ignored my hand and took a step back. I narrowed my eyes. Bitch.

"How does it feel to live in a house that shouldn't belong to you, spending money that shouldn't be yours?" Wow, she was bold. Everyone in our area stopped talking and stared at us.

"I'm sorry you feel that way," I said with a little too much sugar in my voice. "I never had the pleasure of meeting my aunt, but I have learned a lot about her in the past several months. She was a very special lady, and I feel privileged that she decided to leave her entire estate to me."

Ranger moved closer to me and wrapped an arm around my waist. "Very good, Babe. Don't let her get to you," he murmured in my ear. I leaned against him in an effort to keep my cool.

"Well, I never. That house has a lot of history in it, Stephanie Plum. It contains things that a silly little tramp like you could never appreciate." All of our onlookers let out a gasp at that comment.

"What kind of things, Jane? What wouldn't I appreciate about such a lovely historic home?"

"Things like valuable family history that have nothing to do with you. You'd never even know where to look anyway. My family has a prominent history in this town. That house should be ours. We'll have it back, if it's the last thing I do." Jane had a look in her eyes that was eerily similar to some of the crazies I'd encountered over the years. She just shot straight to the top of the suspect list.

"Have you visited the house recently, Jane? Would you like a tour?" Maybe she'd be stupid enough to admit what she'd done.

"N-no of course she hasn't b-been there," Mr. Holmes interjected rather desperately. "Come on Jane, I see a colleague I need to speak with. Stephanie, it was nice to see you again. Have a good night." Holmes grabbed Jane's arm and dragged her across the room. We all stared after them in silence.

"Well, that was interesting," Sara said. "I never realized she was crazy. The look on her face was scary. Maybe you should watch your back, Stephanie. I wouldn't trust her." I nodded in agreement, not sure what to say.

Ranger took my hand, "I think it's time we headed home. Our mission has been accomplished for the night." We said our goodbyes and stepped into the cold night air. The biting wind snapped me out of my daze and I looked up at Ranger. "Babe, we're going to have to be more careful with your security. I think she'll be fixated on you now, more than ever."

How does this happen to me? What is it about me that attracts the delusional, dangerous people? I had spent the past several months of my life improving myself physically and mentally. I had broadened my horizons, I had improved my physical abilities, and I had _not_ stuck my nose in anyone else's business until Doris was attacked out of the blue. Knowing I sounded exactly like my mother, I whined, "Why me?"

Ranger didn't say anything. Illinois College was only a few blocks from the house so the car ride home was quick. After we entered the house, Ranger left me standing in the hall as he checked that all the doors and windows were locked and the alarm was set. We climbed the stairs together and as I stepped out of my dress and pulled on my PJ's, he finally said, "I don't know why you attract these people. I know it isn't your fault, Babe. You did nothing wrong. At least we have a clear suspect now, after Jane's little diatribe tonight. We'll just go forward from there. Come on, let's go to bed. We'll discuss this more in the morning."

Ranger pulled me towards the bed and gathered me to him once we were under the covers. It was so nice to have Ranger close. I felt protected, cherished even. It was not a feeling I've often felt before. I fell asleep in his arms, knowing Ranger would keep me safe.


	25. Chapter 25

Janet Evanovich owns several of these characters. I'm just borrowing them.

Time Out

Ch25

The next few days were pretty uneventful, compared to the symphony party incident. I RSVP'd for the art gallery reception. It was a fundraising deal, so I'd have to fork over some money for Ranger and I to attend, but that was okay. I'd already decided to part with some of my new wealth to make donations to the art museum and gallery, the symphony society, and the public library.

I'd fielded a few phone calls in the days after "The Incident" as I called it. Most people were shocked at Jane's behavior and it seemed like I had a few new followers in my camp. I started getting calls from people I'd never met, filling me in on Jane's movements around town. Jane was still talking smack about me, but it seemed she hadn't yet crossed the line into obvious threats. I even got a call from a member of the Price family. The woman had been Elizabeth's sister-in-law. She told me that while she didn't approve of me inheriting the estate, she really didn't approve of Jane's behavior and that most of the family felt the same way. She actually apologized to me for Jane's words. I told her that she didn't need to apologize for something she herself had no control over, but I did appreciate her call. It wasn't a friendly conversation exactly, but it was nice to know the whole family wasn't out to get me.

The searches that Ranger had ordered the Rangeman Trenton office to do on the various members of the Price family supported my theory that Jane was the only one acting out. The in-depth, invasive nature of the searches showed that most of the family was pretty normal, relatively speaking. Jane, on the other hand, had been seeing a psychiatrist off and on for most of her life. She saw someone in Peoria, which was far enough away that most people around here probably never knew she had any problem. The psychiatrist part wouldn't normally make me suspicious of someone, lots of people needed a little help at some point in their lives. The fact that she was driving a few hours away for her appointments was a little odd, plus her recent behavior towards me is what stood out.

Steve had the bright idea to hunt down the original blueprints to the house. If we found them, maybe there would be some discrepancy between how the house was originally laid out and how it existed now. That might help us discover if something was really hidden in the house. I spent more time researching at the library, historical society, and the county records office. Unfortunately, I was not able to locate blueprints. I did, however, learn that the house was rumored to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad back in the years leading up to the Civil War. There were several homes in Jacksonville that were known to have been used to help hide escaping slaves. Not all of the homes had secret hiding places in the house, some people were hidden in barns and other outbuildings, but some homes did actually have little hidey holes located in the house. I could only hope that my house was one of them.

Steve was disappointed at the lack of original blueprints, but perked up at the Underground Railroad rumor. Since he was a history buff in addition to being a contractor, he was itching to try to find any hiding places in the house. The garage was out as a possibility, since it was only about fifty years old. We all knew there wasn't anything upstairs on the second floor or in the attic, and he was doubtful we'd find anything on the ground floor based on the work he'd done in the past several days. That left the basement.

Ranger, Steve, and I spent time exploring the basement. There wasn't much to see. As I had noted when I first explored the house, it was a good sized space. I thought it looked like a full basement, but Steve shook his head. "This basement is big, but the footprint of the house is bigger."

We all looked around again. Steve whipped out his ever present measuring tape and took some measurements. He went outside and walked all the way around the house. Ranger and I hung out in the basement, waiting. Steve was the expert here, Ranger and I would just get in the way. When Steve clomped back down the basement steps, I asked impatiently, "Well, what's the verdict?"

"If, and that's a big if, there is anything down here, it's going to be along that wall." He pointed to the far wall and continued talking some construction mumbo jumbo that I didn't understand, so I tuned him out and walked towards the suspect wall.

"It's a concrete wall, just like all the other walls and the floor," I stated the obvious.

"Yeah, but the basement walls are likely fitted stone blocks, just like the exterior foundation. This isn't new concrete. It's possible that they poured a concrete floor and covered the stone walls in an effort to keep out moisture. Since it isn't original to the house, it could be that when they added the concrete, they closed off part of the basement. Maybe." Steve was trying not to get excited, but I could tell he was working hard to convince himself.

"So what do we do? Can I take a sledgehammer and start demo on the wall?" I asked. I wasn't trying to talk myself out of excitement. I was already there. Ranger shook his head and smiled at me.

"No! Absolutely not! We need to be careful. I have to make sure this whole place stays structurally sound and if I just turn you loose with a sledgehammer without any preliminary work, who knows what happen." Steve actually shuddered at the thought. "I'm going to drill a little hole in the wall and put a scope through to see if there's anything on the other side."

I was almost bouncing up and down. "Can we do it now?"

"No, probably tomorrow. I need to call a buddy of mine to borrow the scope. I don't own one myself." That was a let down, but I guessed that one more day wouldn't make a big difference.

After Steve left for the day, Ranger and I curled up on the couch together. "Babe, I've got a plan forming in my head to get this investigation wrapped up. I want to run it by you first before we put it into action." I smiled and nodded at him to continue. This was new. In the past, Ranger would come up with a plan and just tell me how it was going to be, without asking for my input. "I want you to use your new network of contacts. Tell everyone we are going to be at the gallery reception, because we will be. Also let it casually drop that we discovered something big in the house during the construction. I know we haven't actually found anything yet, but no one else needs to know that. I want to sneak in a couple Rangeman guys to stay in the house while we're gone for the evening. Hopefully we can get it so that word will get back to Jane about the discovery and the fact that we will be out of the house all evening. Basically, I want to lay a trap for her."

"That is an excellent plan," I said with a grin. "I can't think of anything right now to improve on it. Can it be Lester and Hector that come out? They've been here before so they know the layout of the house, not to mention I miss them."

"I don't know about that. I'll talk to Tank and see what the schedule looks like out there. It may not be possible for Lester and Hector to make it. It may have to be some of the other men." He ruffled my hair and then wound one of my curls around his finger. "I know you miss the guys, Babe. I'm going to have to go back to Trenton for a couple days soon to take care of some business in person. Maybe you could come with me and do some visiting." That sounded like fun.

I got off the couch and went in search of my phone. The sooner we got this Jane mess cleared up, the sooner we could move on with other things. I started my round of calls, dropping a few tidbits of preselected info to a variety of different people. Jane was sure to hear about it from someone. The next morning I planned to call Holmes' office. I wanted to make an appointment with Holmes and tell the receptionist at the same time about the 'discovery'. I figured Jane probably had her informants in her husband's office so this could be another way to get Jane the information quickly. I rubbed my hands together in glee. I love it when a plan comes together.

Ranger and I finished the night with pizza and beer in front of the TV. We made it an early night when things started getting hot and heavy on the couch. We decided the bed would be more comfortable, so Ranger did his security check and I cleaned up our mess before we met upstairs in the bedroom. Clothes disappeared quickly and soon we were under the covers where Ranger worked his usual magic.


	26. Chapter 26

Author Note: I appreciate all your reviews, follows, and favorites. No, there won't be any details on Ranger's 'magic'. I tried, but it didn't read well and sounded awkward. Sorry!

/

Janet Evanovich owns a lot of these characters. I'm just borrowing them

Time Out

Ch26

True to his word, Steve showed up the next day with a scope thingie that he planned to use after he drilled a small hole in my basement wall. I was dancing around in impatience because I was sure Steve was working way too slow. Ranger was leaning against the basement wall with his blank face in place. He was in his zone.

Finally the drill bit punched through to the other side. "I'm hitting nothing but air behind the concrete," Steve announced. He assembled the camera scope gadget thing that he borrowed from a plumber buddy who used it on pipes. Ranger broke out of his zone to come stand behind Steve. We were all crowded together so we could see the image on the tiny little screen that Steve held in one hand. The other hand was feeding the camera through the small hole he'd drilled.

I let out the breath I didn't realize I'd been holding when the little display screen showed what was hidden behind the wall. "Oh my god." I let out a nervous giggle. "Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?"

"Babe." Ranger's expression was one of mild surprise.

"Steph, I think we hit the jackpot." Steve had a look of total shock on his face.

"So we can tear the wall down now, right?"

"How about I tear down the wall. Don't take this the wrong way, but I really don't trust you with a sledgehammer, Stephanie. This is gonna be like surgery. It looks like there's stuff very close to the wall and I don't want to damage anything. I'll be taking this thing down in small pieces, very carefully."

I was disappointed, but I understood. "Well, can we at least do it today?"

"Oh, yeah. I don't want to wait either. It'll take me awhile because I don't want to call in any of my crew to help. Ranger told me about your plan. Probably we should keep this to ourselves."

A couple hours later, I think Steve was ready to deck me. Apparently he didn't appreciate me nagging him to hurry it up. He was working way too slow! We still couldn't see anything in the secret room and I wanted results. Now. Finally Ranger took pity on Steve and pulled me upstairs. "Babe, I need to run to Springfield. How about I drop you at the mall while I run my errand. You can get a dress for the gallery party. What do you think?"

I was torn. It would be nice to do some shopping, but I hated to leave the basement and miss the big reveal. I sighed, "I guess I could do some shopping."

"Don't sound so excited, Babe. I'll take you out to lunch while we're there, does that sweeten the pot any?"

"Let me get cleaned up first. I've got concrete dust in my hair. I'll be quick." Ranger raised an eyebrow and looked at his watch. Twenty minutes later, I was in the front hall, buttoning my coat.

/

Ranger dropped me off in front of Macy's. "I'll call you when I'm done. Probably won't take more than an hour." I knew exactly which dress I wanted, so I made a beeline straight to the rack. It was one of the three dresses I'd tried on last time with Ranger. It was a little more funky than the black dress I'd purchased then, but I thought it would work well for this party. I tried it on again, just to make sure it was okay. I was done fifteen minutes later. Since I had more time to shop, I decided to do a little browsing. I ended up with two new pairs of jeans, four sweaters, a new bottle of perfume, and three new pairs of shoes. It was a good trip. Everything but the dress and perfume was on sale. Ranger still hadn't called so I lugged my purchases out into the mall and started window shopping. I couldn't resist the lure of Victoria's Secret. I had a coupon that was about to expire. I left with three new bra and panty sets and a cute set of silk pajamas. It was getting hard to juggle all the bags so I found a bench and plopped down. I dug my cell phone out of my purse and called Steve.

"Yeah?"

"So? Have you got it all knocked down yet?"

"Stephanie, please. I will let you know if I get it all down before you get home. Just let me do my job, okay?" My phone beeped and I could see Ranger was calling.

"Okay, have it your way. I'll see you later, Steve. And thank you." I ended my call to Steve and answered Ranger's call. "Yo, Batman."

"Yo yourself. Where are you?"

"I'm sitting on a bench in the mall. Are you here? I'll meet you where you dropped me off." I stood up and starting back towards Macy's.

"I'll be there." Silence. He'd hung up without saying goodbye.

I felt like a pack mule as I carried all my bags outside. Ranger was parked at the curb. "I thought you were buying a dress."

"I did. I had time, so I picked up a few more things. It's a good thing we brought the Explorer, right? There will be plenty of room in the back."

"Well," Ranger started. "There actually isn't all that much room."

"Why? What did you get?"

Ranger tilted his head to the side and the back passenger doors opened. Lester and Hector stepped out. I let out a squeal and launched myself at Lester. He braced himself for impact and caught me easily. After twirling me around, Lester set me gently on my feet and turned me towards Hector. "Hola Hector!" He squeezed me tight for a minute before releasing me.

"This is an awesome surprise. Thank you!" I pulled Ranger's head down for a quick kiss before pulling back. "Now I'm hungry and I'm getting cold, so let's move this party elsewhere." Ranger opened the rear cargo door of the Explorer and arranged my bags on top of what I assumed was Lester and Hector's gear. Ten minutes later we pulled into the Chili's parking lot. The hostess settled us into a giant booth in a quiet part of the restaurant.

"So why Springfield this time? Last time you guys flew into St. Louis."

"It was more convenient for Ranger to pick us up here because we didn't want an extra car parked in your driveway. That might be a giveaway that someone else was staying in your house and we're trying to stay under the radar," Lester explained. Soon our appetizers arrived and we dove into our food. Ranger and Lester were talking about a recent takedown back in Trenton.

I was torn. I really wanted to practice my Spanish, but didn't want to sound like an idiot in front of the guys. I decided to suck it up and give it a shot. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Right? "Hector," I started. He looked up from his plate. "Mmm, quiero practicar mi espanol. Hablas conmigo?" It was a little awkward and stilted, but I thought I said it all properly. Hector broke out in a huge grin. Lester and Ranger stopped talking and stared at me. "What?" I asked the table at large.

"When did you learn Spanish, Beautiful?"

"I took a few classes at the community college last summer and fall. I'm not fluent or anything, but I thought maybe I should practice a little."

"Proud of you, Babe." I smiled self conciously and for the rest of our meal, all three guys spoke Spanish to me. They had to talk very slowly and since my vocabulary wasn't large, I missed a lot, but they were very patient with me and no one laughed. I was feeling pretty good about myself by the end of the meal.

We spent the ride back to Jacksonville talking about the plan to bait Jane into trying to get into the house the night of the party. Now that we actually did discover a room in the basement, Lester and Hector would have to be even more careful with security that night. When we got home, Ranger parked the Explorer in front of the garage, much farther back than we usually parked. He explained that Lester and Hector would be going in the back door instead of the front door, so that hopefully no one would see them going in the house. I hopped out of the car and went straight down to the basement. I wanted to see what Steve had accomplished while we were gone.

/

"I was just about to call you, Steph. Come look," said Steve. He had a big grin on his face. I could hear Ranger, Lester, and Hector clomping down the basement stairs behind me. I crossed the basement and looked at Steve's progress. The wall was almost completely down. There was a wooden wall behind it with an open doorway in the middle. "When the door is closed, it blends pretty seamlessly with the wall," Steve explained.

I peered through the doorway. There was a utility light hanging on a nail just inside and I stepped over the extension cord to go inside. The room was pretty good sized. It was about 10 feet deep and ran the entire width of the house. I saw several floor to ceiling shelves that were full of what looked like liquor bottles. A rough bar ran along part of the long wall. The speak easy rumor was true! I walked the length of the room. There were several old tables and chairs and when I reached the far end, I saw a large canvas covered box. The guys were all behind me and they all had their flashlights on. I had them shine the lights on the box. "What do you think? Should I try to open it now?"

Ranger wordlessly moved to the box and handed me his flashlight. He pulled out a knife and cut the ropes that held the canvas to the box. He carefully peeled the material away from the box. With the canvas gone, we could read the words stamped on the box. "Property of U.S. Treasury." Holy shit! Maybe the bank robbery rumor was true too!

"Don't get too excited, Babe. We don't know what's in the box, it could have been reused and is now holding something else."

Steve stepped forward with a hammer and used the claw end to pry the top off the crate. With a loud screech, the top gave way and Steve handed it off to Lester. We all leaned forward to peek in the box. "Am I looking at this right? Is it what I think it is?" My voice was a little shaky. My eyes were almost blinded by the reflection from our flashlights off the rows of gleaming gold bars.

We were all silent for several minutes, just staring at the gold bars. Steve broke the silence. "I think this is why the concrete wall was built. The wood wall and hidden door are old, probably pre-Civil War. The Prohibition stuff is cool, but can't compare to this. This is, wow. Stephanie, you're rich!"

"I don't think so, or at least not from this gold. I think this is from that bank robbery one of the Price guys was involved in. The gold doesn't belong to me. It happened so long ago, who do I even call about this?"

"We'll figure it out, Beautiful. Good thing you have Ranger, Hector, and I here to help guard it. Did that Jane woman know for a fact this was here or was she just guessing?" That was a good question that I didn't have an answer to. If our manipulations worked out, she'd show up at the house the night of the party when Ranger and I were gone. Lester and Hector would catch her in the act and then hopefully she'd spill the beans. Hopefully.

Steve finished carting away the last of the concrete while the guys and I swept up the dust. Steve was right. Once the door was closed, it was pretty much hidden in the wall. You'd have to know where it was or examine the wall very closely to see it. We reconvened upstairs in the kitchen. I swore Steve to secrecy about our discovery. He solemnly vowed not to say a word and left for the evening. I gave Lester and Hector another tour of the house since so much had changed since their last visit. Ranger volunteered to cook a healthy dinner, since Lester and Hector were restricted to the house and we'd pigged out at Chili's earlier in the day. We all watched a little TV before calling it a night.


	27. Chapter 27

Janet Evanovich owns most of these characters. I'm just borrowing them.

Time Out

Ch27

Lester, Hector, and Ranger spent a few days enhancing my security system after the gold discovery. The entire basement was now wired for sound and video, and was monitored 24/7. Ranger was glad to see Lester and Hector since he hadn't done any sparring since he arrived in Jacksonville. Since I didn't have any mats, they had to be a little more careful since they were sparring in the basement where they were less likely to be heard or seen. All three guys were looking a little bruised, but Ranger was looking pretty pleased. Steve and I watched the action from the basement steps. It wasn't a new sight for me and I always appreciated looking at half naked, glistening, muscled perfection. I love Ranger, but Lester and Hector were also very easy on the eyes! Steve looked on with a mixture of horror and fascination.

"Do they always beat the shit out of each other?" he asked in a slightly awed tone.

"Oh this is nothing. I don't have mats for them to fall on, so they're actually being pretty careful. The goal is to train, not to cause a serious injury." I said nonchalantly. Steve blanched at the thought that the guys were only sparring about half-speed.

Our evenings were spent dining in, since Lester and Hector couldn't leave the house. We exhausted my movie supply within a few days and there was always an argument over who got the remote when we watched TV. I finally resorted to bringing out some of the old board games that had been unearthed during the big clean-up and we played some fierce games of Scrabble (in both Spanish and English so Hector could play) and Monopoly using vintage game boards and pieces.

At last the big night arrived. I spent extra time getting ready, wanting to look as good as possible. My dress was very dark red, silk, about mid-calf in length, with an asymmetrical hem. It was clingy without being skintight and it didn't show too much cleavage, so I didn't look like a slut. I was treating this like I used to treat the distractions I did for Rangeman back in Trenton, even though I knew my target would be elsewhere. Maybe it was my way of getting my head in the game. I didn't want to risk screwing anything up. Ranger looked mouthwatering in one of his black designer suits with a crisp white shirt and black on black striped tie. As usual he was ready long before me, so he waited patiently for me to finish my routine.

Lester and Hector were already hidden in the secret basement room, waiting on Jane's arrival. Every light had been turned on downstairs earlier in the evening and all the drapes were open. Ranger and I made a point of being obvious as we went from room to room, turning out the lights. Hopefully Jane was watching and saw us preparing to leave the house 'unattended' for the evening. Ranger and I loudly talked on the way to the car about how long we expected the art gallery reception to last. I whined at Ranger that I wanted to stay at least two hours. Maybe it was over the top, but Jane seemed to be off her rocker and maybe not too bright, so hopefully she wouldn't notice our dramatics as being overly dramatic.

Ranger and I were connected to Lester and Hector with earpieces and mics hidden in our clothes so we weren't totally cut off from what was happening back at the house. We arrived at the Strawn Art Gallery right on time. The night's fundraiser was to benefit the Art Association of Jacksonville. I pulled the check I'd pre-written out of my purse and discreetly tucked it into the box on the table near the entrance. The lady manning the table smiled in thanks and directed us to the refreshment table. We each collected a glass of wine and started a slow stroll around the room. Neither one of us planned on drinking much, the wine was more to have something in our hands and blend in. We stopped to chat with a few people we'd met recently at the Symphony party. A few of the women I'd met during my art workshops pulled me into a conversation about an upcoming workshop.

Lester and Hector checked in every ten minutes to report the all clear. After an hour of socializing, I was getting impatient and my face hurt from smiling so much. An hour and ten minutes into our 'mission', Lester keyed his mic and let us know they had activity. The motion sensor on the back door had been activated. All the alarms were set to silent mode, so they wouldn't scare Jane off. Ranger and I started saying our goodbyes and I gave the excuse of my brand new four inch heels making my feet hurt as the reason for our early departure. After our escape from the building, we hurried to the car. It was only a five minute trip home.

Lester reported that Jane had finally gained entry to the house. She was wandering around the ground floor now. Either she had no clue where the 'valuable family history' was located in the house, or she couldn't find the basement door. Or maybe she was just being nosy. Ranger took us on a little detour. We didn't want to arrive home before she had the opportunity to discover the treasure in the basement. Every movement Jane made, from the moment she arrived at the back door and including her current meandering around the interior of the house was being recorded on video. When Lester let us know that Jane had discovered the basement steps and was on her way down, Ranger sped the few remaining blocks to the house.

Ranger parked in Steve's driveway and we crossed the yards around to the back of my house, since Jane was kind enough to leave my back door standing open. Ranger motioned for me to take off my heels before I started up the wooden porch steps so I wouldn't make too much of a racket. I noticed he had his gun drawn. I really hoped it wouldn't be needed. We very quietly eased through the back door and down the hall towards the basement door. As we silently moved down the steps, I could hear soft chuckling. Going by its higher, feminine pitch, I was guessing that it was Jane. I knew Lester and Hector were entrenched behind the old wooden bar leftover from Prohibition. They were watching Jane on the camera monitors on Hector's laptop.

"It's true!" we heard. There was some giggling and then, "Grandpa was telling the truth! There really is a treasure, and oh what a treasure. I'm rich, I'm rich, I'm rich!"

"Hello Jane."

The woman whirled around with a gasp, her flashlight bouncing wildly. "You!" she screamed.

"What are you doing in my house, Jane?"

"This shouldn't be your house, it belongs to the Price family."

"You've said that before, but you didn't answer my question. What are you doing here?"

"I've come to collect my family's legacy. It's mine, you have no right to it."

"What legacy are you talking about? The legacy of crime? Your family operated an illegal speak easy and your grandfather was a bank robber. That's quite a legacy, but you're doing a good job of following in their footsteps."

"That's not important now. The gold is mine. Grandpa told me stories about it and always told me it was safely hidden in the house. Until you showed up of course. You just had to hire that stupid contractor to mess with the house. I knew the gold wouldn't stay hidden. I had to come get it before you could get your filthy gold-digging hands on it."

I rolled my eyes. Jane was rapidly heading towards hysterical. "Look, Jane. That's not your gold. It's not mine either. Your grandfather and his buddies stole it from its rightful owners. I'm guessing he double-crossed his partners since he was the only one acquitted and the gold was hidden in his family's house. You're not going to take it."

"Babe, try not to bait her any more than necessary, okay? She's on video breaking into your house, and the audio recorders picked up everything she just said. Why don't we let the police take it from here?"

"You're recording me?" Jane shrieked. She lunged towards me, but Lester and Hector popped up out of nowhere and quickly had her on the ground in handcuffs.

"Ranger, I just have one more question for her and then we can call the cops," I wanted an answer for the whole reason this investigation started and I wanted that answer on tape.

"Jane, why did you attack Doris? She's a harmless old lady. She doesn't even live here. Why would you hurt her?"

"If she would have just let me in the house, she never would have been hurt. The stupid woman tried to get away from me so I gave her a shove. It's not my problem it was icy and she lost her balance."

That was a good enough answer for me. "Well, Jane, it looks like you're going to jail for burglary and now assault." She started screaming at me unintelligibly.

"If you had never assaulted Doris, I never would have started looking into the history of your family and this house. Because of the concrete wall that was here, probably we never would have found the gold. This is all on you. Ranger, did you call the police?"

"They'll be here in a few minutes, Babe."

Once the cops arrived, it was another hour before it all settled down. Hector made copies of the video and audio recordings for the police. All four of us gave our statements to a detective and promised to be available for follow up if needed. Jane was hauled, kicking and screaming, to a police cruiser. It took four officers to get her wedged into the backseat, she was flailing around so much. If it'd been me, I would have stunned her.

After the circus settled down, we all sat around the kitchen table quietly contemplating our Oreo's and coffee. Once our snacks were finished, I gathered our cups and rinsed them in the sink. "It's been fun guys, but I'm beat. I'm going to bed."

Ranger spoke up, "We'll debrief tomorrow. Everyone get some rest. We'll pick this up in the morning."

I gave Lester and Hector hugs and thanked them for their help. I trudged up the stairs and down the hall to the bedroom. All I wanted to do was fall into bed and sleep for twelve hours. It hadn't been a physically trying evening, but I was emotionally drained. I did my thing in the bathroom and flopped on the bed. Ranger slipped into bed a few minutes later. He turned me on my stomach and started kneading the tense muscles of my neck and shoulders. I let out a moan and Ranger took that as an invitation. My massage turned more sensual. I flipped over onto my back and leaned up to kiss him hungrily. Ranger kept my mouth busy with his hands while his hands massaged more interesting parts of me. All thoughts of sleep fled my mind. What a perfect cap to an eventful day.


	28. Chapter 28

Janet Evanovich owns most of these characters. I'm just borrowing them.

Time Out

Ch28

Ranger and I headed to the Y for our workouts first thing the next morning. When we returned, Lester and Hector went for a run. The three security professionals decided that the house shouldn't be left unattended until the gold got transported to a safer location, hence the working out in shifts. Once we were all back in the house and cleaned up, we all pitched in to get a big, hot breakfast on the table. Chocolate chip pancakes, sausage and bacon, and scrambled eggs all did a good job of negating my earlier workout.

After eating, we discussed the ramifications of the night before. The local newspaper had a daily column that listed all the police activity from the day before and printed the names of everyone arrested, from traffic tickets up to murder. The newspaper might not mention the gold specifically, but it was going to be very difficult to keep it a secret. Ranger had already spoken with the Rangeman attorneys about the problem of who the gold belonged to, and possible locations for securing it until the ownership issue could be resolved. If the attorneys got everything worked out, an armored truck would arrive sometime today and transport the gold bars to a local bank to be stored in their vault temporarily. The whole house was on lockdown. Even Steve and his workers were banned until the gold was gone. I trusted Steve, but didn't know his workers all that well and we figured it'd be best to call off the renovation until the temptation of all that gold was removed.

/

I was anxious to visit Doris and tell her everything. Since this whole thing started because of her getting hurt, I wanted her to be one of the first to know the results. Ranger went with me to Doris' temporary new digs at the nursing and rehabilitation facility. I suspected that he wasn't exactly going so that he could visit Doris, but more to guard my body. I didn't think we'd have any more problems, but the guys were concerned that some member of the Price family might be upset about Jane's arrest. In the past I'd been known to get a little snarky about having a bodyguard, but I wasn't about to turn down the opportunity to spend more time with Ranger.

The Explorer was still parked in Steve's driveway from the night before, and he stepped out on his porch as we were walking across his yard to get to the vehicle. "I hate to admit it," he said sheepishly, "but I lowered myself to the level of nosy neighbor last night. I sat by the window in the dark, looking through the curtains, waiting to see if Jane would show up. I saw her sneak around your house and go to the back door, and I watched you guys cut across my yard and go in the same way, but couldn't see anything after that until all the cop cars showed up. What happened once she got inside?"

I explained most of what went down with Jane and apologized for not letting him and his crew in the house until the gold was gone.

"It's okay, Stephanie. I don't blame you. I'm kinda freaked out just having it next door to me. As soon as word gets out that it's in there, it'll be a huge temptation to a lot of folks. I didn't even tell my guys why we weren't working again today, I just told them to take the day off."

"Thanks, Steve. You've been a big help through all this. We're going to tell Doris all about it now. Jane basically admitted to pushing Doris down, so she'll be charged with assault on Doris."

"I'm not happy that Doris was hurt, but I have to say that this is more excitement than I've had in years! It's going to be hard to go back to my quiet life now. How did you do this all the time in Trenton?"

"Well, this was a little tamer than some of the stuff that happened to me in Trenton." I snuck a peek at Ranger and the big jerk had a smirk on his face at my last comment. I could tell Steve was getting cold standing on his porch without a coat on, so we parted ways and climbed into the Explorer.

"Babe," Ranger said once we were inside the vehicle, "you are a master of understatement."

"What?" I huffed.

"You haven't destroyed a car in months. You haven't been kidnapped, stabbed, shot, or covered in filth. You haven't broken any of my men. Your name hasn't been splashed all over the newspaper. 'A little tamer'? This can't even rate on your Top Twenty list."

"Very funny, Batman. That was Old Stephanie. New Stephanie is doing her best to avoid stuff like that."

/

Doris was thrilled to hear the entire account of what went down with Jane. The police had already visited her earlier in the morning to question her about the assault. Apparently they were a little miffed that she hadn't reported it when it occurred. In addition to the audio and video recordings of Jane in the basement with the gold, Hector had also prepared a copy of the video of Doris' assault for the police. Even though the assailant wasn't recognizable as Jane, the footage coupled with Jane's confession should help the prosecution.

Doris reported that she had finally heard from her grandson. He thought he'd probably be home in a few weeks to take care of her. She'd still be in the nursing and rehab facility, but would be able to go home soon after he arrived.

Ranger and I didn't stay long. We'd exchanged a glance when we first walked in the door and silently agreed to make this a short visit. I think we actually had an ESP moment. Doris looked worse than she had in the hospital. I think the physical therapy was kicking her butt. She looked exhausted and there were lines of pain etched around her eyes and mouth, obvious even through her normal wrinkles.

/

Our next stop, before going back to the house, was the local police department. The detective wanted all four of us to add to our statements from the night before. Detective Wayne had obviously done his homework after he left the house last night. Last night, I could tell he was more than a little suspicious of all of us. This morning, he was much more welcoming. I decided to call him on it. "So, Detective, what's changed from last night to this morning?"

"What do you mean, Ms. Plum?"

"It's Stephanie, or Steph, please. Well, last night you acted like you weren't entirely sure that we shouldn't be sent to jail as well. Today you're more relaxed and you aren't resting your hand on your gun like you did the whole time last night. Something has changed. I'm not complaining, today's attitude is much more pleasant. I'm just curious."

The man stared at me for a minute before his lips curved in a small smile. "I did a little internet search. There's a lot to read about you, Stephanie. I couldn't find anything under your, um, friends' names. Rangeman, however, seems to be a company with a very solid reputation out East. I also called the Trenton Police Department and spoke with the Chief as well as a Detective Morelli."

He talked to Joe?! This could be good or very, very bad. "And how is Detective Morelli?"

"He sends his regards. Apparently what I read about you on the internet was just the tip of the iceberg. He also filled me in on your friends. Morelli seemed to know a lot about you and his manner was very, ah, familiar when talking about you." Detective Wayne raised an eyebrow at me.

I sent him a weak smile. "Joe's my ex-boyfriend. We have a long and interesting history. And I can assure you, most of what you've heard about me was not my fault!"

The detective smiled back before turning his attention to Ranger. "Alright, let's get this conversation back on track. I have a few more questions to ask that I didn't get to last night. Mr. Manoso, how did you come to be at Stephanie's house in Jacksonville when your business is out East?"

The questions lasted for another hour or so, but the atmosphere was pretty relaxed. We promised that Hector and Lester would stop by the station after we went home to relieve them on guard duty. We told Detective Wayne that the gold would hopefully be out of the house soon and we'd let him know of it's new location. The detective walked us out to the Explorer and mentioned that Jane had seen a judge this morning. She was actually granted bail and the amount was set at $200,000. We could only hope that no one bailed her out. I felt much more secure with Jane in jail.

/

By late afternoon, Lester and Hector had returned from the police station after answering Detective Wayne's questions. A Rangeman attorney had finalized the gold transfer details and an armored truck showed up soon after and backed down my driveway to get as close to the back door as possible. Lester, Hector, and Ranger were armed to the teeth and were on high alert as the two armed guards manuevered the crate of gold bars up the basement steps and into the back of the truck. The guards were big guys, but they still had difficulty getting the crate and its contents up the stairs. Lester rode in the back of the truck with one of the guards while Ranger, Hector, and I followed closely in my Explorer. We probably resembled one of those convoys you see in movies, just waiting for the bad guys to jump out and rob the truck. Luckily, the bad guys stayed home and the gold was soon locked safely in the vault of a local bank.

I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my chest. Jane was in jail and the gold was safe. My life could go back to normal again. The guys and I decided to go out to celebrate. We ate dinner at Lonzerotti's, an Italian restaurant located in an old railroad depot. It was still early and none of us were ready to call it a night. Jacksonville wasn't really big with its nightlife, there weren't any clubs to go to, but there were plenty of bars.

We took the car home and walked back up to the Square to go to Mulligan's. It was several blocks from home, kind of a long walk, but none of us wanted to be the designated driver. The bar wasn't especially busy, and the guys relaxed with the help of several beers. Even Ranger seemed to have a little buzz. I'd never seen him drunk and I didn't think it was going to happen that night, but he was a lot more mellow than usual.

When he got up to go to the bar to buy our next round, Lester leaned over and spoke quietly in my ear. "I don't know what you've done, Beautiful, but I haven't seen Ranger look like this in years."

"I haven't done anything, Les. It's the beer that's making him mellow."

"It's not the beer. Even with the Jane thing going on, he looks more relaxed and open than I've seen him in a long time, and he and I go way back." At my worried frown, he added, "It's a good thing, Beautiful, believe me. Thank you." He kissed my temple and pulled back just as Ranger returned.

"Santos, keep your hands off my woman," he growled.

"I'm your woman?" I asked with a goofy grin on my face.

"Of course you are, Babe."

We stared at each other and apparently we were shooting off some sparks, because they next thing I heard was, "Jeez, you two, get a room!"

The spell was broken and we both turned to Lester and yelled simultaneously, "Santos!"

Lester and Hector broke out laughing and Hector used his phone to take a picture of us glaring at Les. I couldn't maintain my mean face and finally I broke down in giggles. Ranger let his mask slip off and shot a lopsided grin at Lester. I think Hector was still taking pictures. Relaxed Ranger with a lopsided grin was pretty damn sexy, so I hope Hector got a good one. I wanted a copy of it, if so.


	29. Chapter 29

Janet Evanovich owns most of these characters. I'm just borrowing them.

Time Out

Ch29

Since the excitement was over, Lester and Hector left the next day. I was sad to see them go, but knew the Trenton office was running shorthanded with them gone. They had dismantled all the extra equipment so I was left with my original security system. Ranger and I took them down to St. Louis to the airport and then went out for a nice dinner and to the movies afterwards. Ranger reserved us a room in a very nice hotel near the Arch. We visited the Arch the next morning and then returned to Jacksonville in the afternoon and walked into a disaster zone.

Steve and his guys had gutted the kitchen that morning and there was dust and debris coating the entire downstairs. The noise was deafening. I saw Ranger's eyes narrow and knew he wouldn't be able to maintain his calm, cool zone for long.

"How about Chicago?" I impulsively suggested.

Ranger blinked and looked at me. "Babe?"

"I've never been to Chicago. It's only about four hours away. Let's drive up there for a few days and see some sights. My road trip plan may have gone out the window, but I'd still like to visit some new places if I get the chance. You can be my travel buddy for this little trip instead of Rex." I finished with a grin.

"Babe, I'll be your travel buddy anytime. I've been to Chicago, but just for business. I think there's supposed to be some good museums there. How long do you need to get ready?"

An hour later, we were on the road. Steve would be watching Rex while we were away. He actually thanked us for leaving. He had been scrambling to get things arranged so that he could turn the water back on at the end of the day. With us gone, he could leave the water turned off for the whole house. He promised to have the worst of the mess cleaned up before we got back.

"Is it always that bad, Babe?" Ranger asked after we got on the road.

"Pretty much, yes. I told Steve when he and his guys started that I refused to move out of the house. Whatever they did, at the end of the day I had to have hot water, a functioning toilet, and a reasonably clean bedroom. I know it's been harder for them to try to accomodate me and I'm sure they're thrilled we're out of the house.

Soon we were zipping around Springfield and merging onto I-55. With our return from St. Louis this afternoon and now our trip to Chicago, this was turning into a long day. Ranger and I chatted for awhile before I passed out. We made a stop in Bloomington for gas, and I reached out my hand for the keys. We stared at each other for a moment, with me silently telling him that he'd done all the driving so far that day and now it was my turn, before he handed them over. I think that was another shared ESP moment, because I'm pretty sure he silently told me that I could have my way this time.

After filling the gas tank and stocking up on snacks, we were back on the road. Ranger declined to take a nap, but at least he could relax from all the driving. While I was busy packing my bags earlier, Ranger made us reservations at the Hilton on South Michigan Avenue because it overlooked the lake and appeared to be close to several of the museums. By the time we made it to the hotel, I was beat. We had gotten mildly lost and I could tell Ranger was itching to take over the wheel. It wasn't my fault. He said he knew how to get there so I followed his directions and then he refused to turn on the GPS unit because he didn't like the annoying little voice. We didn't exactly argue, but it was a tiny bit tense for a short time.

Once we reached our room, I was almost regretting suggesting this trip. I quickly did my thing in the bathroom and crawled into the king size bed. A few minutes later, Ranger slipped in behind me. We laid there quietly for a while, neither of us sleeping. I rolled over and told him, "I'm sorry-" at the same time he said, "Babe-"

I leaned over to kiss him softly on the mouth. He deepened the kiss and soon our tongues were dueling urgently. My clothes disappeared and Ranger started kissing his way down my body. Quickly, the tension changed between us and Ranger applied his skills to have us relaxing into a pile of goo in the bed. "I love you, Babe." he whispered in my hair as I drifted off to sleep.

"Love you too, Batman." I murmurred.

/

I woke to the feeling of Ranger's magic mouth and fingers doing interesting things. He stopped and I whimpered. "Wake up, Babe. We have things to do."

"If I wake up, will you start doing what you were doing again?" I mumbled into my pillow.

"I think I can handle that," he whispered against my breast right before he rolled me over and started tickling me. I shrieked and tried to wiggle away. "Are you awake yet? I want an attentive audience for this."

"I'm awake! I'm awake! And now you have to let me up. Right now. I'll be right back," I promised as I jumped out of bed and sprinted to the bathroom. After finishing my business, I washed my hands and brushed my teeth. I dashed back into the bedroom and took a flying leap at the bed. I landed with a hard bounce next to Ranger. "Okay, now you may continue." I said with a grin. Ranger dropped a kiss on my nose before continuing south.

A while later we were showered and ready for a day of sightseeing. We indulged in room service breakfast while we planned the day. One step outside had me insisting we go back upstairs to the room for more clothes. Lake Michigan was beautiful and being right downtown was nice, but the wind whipping off the lake and through the tall buildings was absolutely frigid. The second time we stepped outside, I no longer looked cute, but I was much warmer.

We started the day at the Field Museum. It was an easy but freezing walk from the hotel. Several hours later, we decided to move on. I don't think it's possible to visit that museum and see and appreciate all it has to offer. Ranger took my picture in front of Sue, the giant T. Rex skeleton in the entry hall, before we headed back out into the cold. We decided to check out Adler Planetarium next. By the time we finished there, the day was done and the sights were closing. Over the next three days we visited Shedd Aquarium, the Art Institute, Museum of Science and Industry, Navy Pier, and I did a lot of window shopping. Our evenings were spent sampling the wide variety of restaurants in the area. I called Steve the day before we left Chicago and he assured me my house would be habitable by the time we returned.

/

We were back in Jacksonville by mid-afternoon. Steve kept his word and the house was a little cleaner and much quieter than when we left. I was still missing a kitchen, but the new tile had been laid and the lighting fixtures were up. Steve had set my microwave and coffeepot on a little table in the front hallway. We'd have to use water from the sink in the original bathroom. The old fridge was plugged in in the mudroom at the back of the house. It wasn't ideal, but definitely workable.

I was impressed that Ranger had ignored the lure of work for the past few days while we were in Chicago. Within an hour of getting back to Jacksonville, he was entrenched in the study with his laptop. Since the demolition was done, I figured it'd be safe to do some cleaning and have it stay clean for a few days. I changed into grubby clothes and got out my cleaning gear to tackle the fine layer of dust that coated everything downstairs. For dinner, Ranger fixed himself a salad and I nuked a frozen dinner. After we cleaned up the remains of our meal as best as possible, Ranger took my hand and led me into the living room.

"Stephanie," he started once we were seated on the sofa. "I enjoy being here with you, but I also really need to get back to Trenton. There's only so much I can do by laptop. Tank has been running things for approaching a year now and he's reaching his limit. There are also things that only I can sign off on. Now that the Jane problem has been resolved and you are safe, it's time for me to go."

I figured this was coming. Ranger is not good at being on the sidelines. Ranger needs to be actively involved in his business. He actually stayed longer than I thought he would. Despite knowing how he is, I was still breathless at the thought of him leaving. The past weeks with him have been some of the best in my life. Spending every night with him has been wonderful. I guess I was silent too long, because Ranger gently grasped my chin and turned my face towards his.

"Babe?"

"I'm okay. You stayed longer than I thought you would." My smile was a little shaky, despite my best efforts.

"Stephanie, I'm not breaking this off with you. I like what we've got going. I can come visit you or you can fly out to Trenton and stay with me. This can work."

"I know, Ranger. I've gotten used to seeing you all the time now. We can do the long distance thing. And it won't be forever. The end is in sight on the house renovation and once it's done I can put it on the market and plan my return to Trenton." We sat in silence, each lost in our own thoughts. I broke the silence, blurting out, "It's just that I love you. I mean I've loved you for a long time, but you being here with me has made me realize my feelings run even deeper than I'd thought. It'll be hard when you go, even if we fly back and forth to visit." I blinked rapidly, trying to keep the tears from falling.

"Babe, don't cry. It's not that bad. You made it all those months while I was out of the country and we didn't talk once during that time. Now we'll see each other frequently."

I nodded and he leaned in to place a series of tiny kisses around my ear and along my jaw before landing on my mouth. "Let's go to bed, Steph. We'll talk more about this tomorrow." He picked me up bridal style and carried me up to the bedroom. By the time we got to the bedroom, I was ready to go into Denial Land about Ranger's departure. To loosely quote Scarlett O'Hara, "Tomorrow is another day."

/

I woke up in a much better mood. Amazing what a little sleep can do to help process feelings. Ranger's never one to sit around after making a decision. The next morning he informed me he had a flight scheduled for the following day. I was okay with that. It wasn't that I was devastated last night either, but I guess it just hit me wrong last night. We spent the rest of the day together, hanging out. Late in the day, my cell phone rang.

"Stephanie, this is Detective Wayne. I just wanted to let you know that Jane Holmes made bail and has been released."

Shit. "Is there a restraining order or anything keeping her from my house?"

"No, but she's been told to leave you and your house alone and basically verbally threatened that we'll cart her back to jail if she causes any more trouble. It may help you out that she knows the gold isn't in your house anymore."

"Eh well, I guess we can thank God for small favors. Do you really think she'll leave me alone?"

"Her husband is mortified by the whole thing. His law practice is already suffering a hit from his wife's actions. I think he'll do his best to rein her in. Her Price relatives aren't giving her any support either. They may not like that you got what they think should be their money, but they aren't willing to steep to Jane's level to do anything about it."

"That was a nice diversion, Detective, but you didn't answer the question."

"I don't know, Stephanie, what she'll do. Sorry."

After I got off the phone, I told Ranger everything the detective said. His blank face was in place, but the look in his eyes told me he wasn't happy. We decided to go out for an early dinner at Muggsy's and then make it an early night. Ranger parked in a public lot adjacent to the restaurant. I had just polished off my appetizer of fried pickles and was about to dig into my entree of pork chops when a loud boom split the air and the dishes rattled on the table. I raised my eyes to meet Ranger's and he lifted an eyebrow.

"What are the odds?" I asked.

"I wouldn't take the bet, Babe. Let's go check it out." We followed a small crowd of our fellow diners outside. The parking lot was aglow with the light of a burning car. To be more specific, the parking lot was aglow with the light of _my_ burning car.

"Damn it!" I shrieked. "I've had that car less than a year! I bought it brand spankin' new! Arrgghh!" The wail of sirens told me that the fire trucks and police would be here any second.

Ranger wrapped his arms around me from behind and rested his chin on my head. "No one was hurt Babe. Cars can be replaced." Yeah, yeah. He's said that before. It doesn't make it any less painful and annoying.

"That bitch is going down. It was Jane. You know it was Jane."

"Knowing and proving are two different things."

I whipped out my cell phone and called Detective Wayne. When he answered I tried to keep my voice even as I said, "Evil Bitch Jane just blew up my car. I want her bail revoked."

"Did you see her do it?"

"No, but who else would blow up my car in this town? I haven't pissed off anyone else here."

"Where are you? I'll be over in a few minutes."

Ranger kneaded my shoulders and neck while we waited for Detective Wayne to show up. The fire was quickly put out and the arson investigator was called in. The street cops did crowd and traffic control. Exploding cars aren't common in this town at all. The number of Looky Lou's in the area was growing rapidly as word spread about the incident.

I saw Detective Wayne shoving through the crowd of onlookers to get to the line of police tape that one of the street cops had been very enthusiastic about rolling out. Wayne shook his head as looked at the carcass of my poor dead Explorer. "You know, if I hadn't read all about you on the internet and talked to Detective Morelli, I'd never believe this. I was hoping you'd get back to Trenton before you destroyed another car. Do you have any idea what you're doing to our crime statistics, lady?"

"It wasn't my fault!"


	30. Chapter 30

Janet Evanovich owns most of these characters. I'm just borrowing them.

Time Out

Ch30

It was late by the time we got back to the house. Detective Wayne was nice enough to give us a ride, since my car was now a crispy critter. It was determined that 'someone' (Jane) had lit an oil soaked rag and stuffed it into the gas tank with a dowel rod. Blowing up cars doesn't take much skill or intelligence these days.

I was glad Wayne was with us when we got home, because it saved us from having to call the cops again. Spray painted across the entire front of the house, across both brick and glass, were a variety of phrases ranging from 'thief' to 'gold-digging bitch' with a few creative and disgusting curses thrown in as well. 'Someone' (Jane) had an impressive little crime spree this evening although the graffiti seemed juvenile in comparison to blowing up a car. Maybe she started with the house and then escalated to the car. I didn't care at this point. I just wanted her to go away.

While Wayne called for the crime scene unit, the only one in town and therefore the one that was just wrapping up the processing of my car, Ranger went in the back door and pulled up the camera footage on the front door. He brought his laptop outside and Wayne and I watched the screen as 'someone', and it was obviously Jane since she looked right at the camera at one point, spray painted her way across my house. When it finished playing, Ranger closed the laptop and handed Wayne a DVD copy of what we'd just seen.

As Wayne grasped the DVD, Ranger held it for a few extra seconds. Wayne met Ranger's eyes and flinched. "Are you going to do something about this tonight?" Ranger asked in a deadly quiet tone.

"If I can find her tonight, she'll go back to jail and I'll make sure she can't get bail again."

"I'll _help_ you find her tonight. It is unacceptable for that woman to continue running loose threatening Stephanie. I have to go back to Trenton in the morning and I will _not_ leave Stephanie here with any potential that Jane might hurt her."

"I understand," Wayne gulped.

"This wasn't your fault, Detective. I just want you to understand my motivation here."

"I understand," Wayne repeated.

"Let's go shake a few branches on her family tree and see what falls out." Ranger grabbed my hand and strode over to his rental car. He stopped and turned back to Detective Wayne. "We'll be starting with her husband, Holmes."

Ranger whipped his rental Jeep out of the driveway and took off for the Holmes house. He quickly settled into his zone and I was left to my own thoughts. This was the first time I'd seen Ranger like this since he arrived in Jacksonville. During the gold thing he was alert, but pretty low-key for him.

The Holmes family lived in a nice subdivision on the western outskirts of town. We cruised down the street slowly and saw two cars parked in the garage. Both garage doors were open. Lights were on in the house. "How should we do this?" I asked the expert.

"We're going to knock on the door. She was dumb enough to get caught on camera and then dumb enough to come home afterwards. Call Wayne and tell him we're here. We'll wait for him. He can knock on the door, you watch the garage door, I'll take the back."

I dialed Wayne and told him the plan when he picked up. A few minutes later the detective pulled into the Holmes' driveway and parked so that neither of the Holmes' vehicles could exit the garage without smashing into unmarked police car and even then they probably wouldn't be able to go any further.

Wayne gave Ranger a chance to get into place at the back of the house. I was waiting in the garage, just to the side of the door that led to the inside of the house. I could hear Wayne knocking on the door. Holmes answered and Wayne asked for Jane. Holmes started sputtering and asked why the detective wanted to talk to her. I couldn't decide if Holmes was that dumb and couldn't figure it out or if he was that smart and was stalling to give Jane a chance to run.

My inner musings on Holmes' intelligence were cut short when the door to the garage crashed open and Jane bolted out. She caught me by surprise and I was a little out of practice with the whole apprehension thing so she got a bit of a head start on me. I caught up to her at the bottom of the driveway and took her down with a flying tackle. She hit the ground face first and I landed on top of her so my fall was nicely cushioned. I yelled to Wayne and Ranger that I had her and continued sitting on her as she flailed about, screaming profanities.

Wayne jogged over and cuffed Jane. Ranger arrived at the same time and lifted me to my feet. Wayne read her her Miranda rights and with Ranger's help got her in the back seat of his car. Holmes was out of the house and yelling at Jane to not say anything. Jane was ignoring her husband and screaming at me that I got only part of what I deserved tonight, that she wished I had been in the car when she stuffed the rag in the gas tank. A confession! Coupled with the camera footage of her graffiti campaign on my house, I hoped that was enough for her to go straight back to jail and not get bail again.

/

Ranger and I were both moving slowly the next morning. It was late by the time we got back to the house after hunting down Jane. Ranger's flight out of St. Louis was at noon, and he planned to be on the road by nine. We skipped our run and breakfast in favor of staying in bed as long as possible. We made love slowly, like we were memorizing each other. Afterwards, Ranger pulled me so that I was draped over his chest. I laid with my head on his shoulder while we made tentatively planned that I would fly out in a few weeks to stay with him in Trenton for a few days. He told me he'd have the Rangeman attorney call me when they figured out what was going to happen to the gold, although it may take a while since the robbery happened several decades ago.

After we shared a memorable shower, Ranger gathered the rest of his belongings together. Over the past few weeks, he'd taken over part of my closet and one of my dresser drawers. He had his own sink in the bathroom. For all intents and purposes, it was like he lived here. He stopped packing and looked at me. "Can I leave a few things here for the next time I'm here?"

A smile spread across my face until I beamed at him. "Yes, of course." Ranger gave me his 200 watt smile in return grabbed my belt loop to pull me to him for a quick, hard kiss.

We walked out to his rental Jeep and I helped him load his bags into the back. He'd had Ella ship a bunch of stuff out to him, so he was leaving with way more than he'd arrived with, even with the stuff he'd left in my closet. We stood there awkwardly after everything was loaded.

"I love you Ranger."

"Love you too, Steph."

I stepped closer and wrapped Ranger in a full contact body hug. He closed his arms around me and held on tight. "See you in a few weeks, Babe."

"Don't get shot." I resurrected our old saying.

"Don't go crazy," he replied, finishing the exchange.

As I watched him drive away, I thought about the past several months. My life had changed a lot in that time, for the better. I was financially independent, I learned more about myself, and gained some new skills along the way. While I didn't plan to be in Jacksonville long, when the plan changed, I was able to adapt and roll with it. All in all, I was truly proud of myself for the first time in years.

That being said, it was now time to think about wrapping things up in Jacksonville so I could stage my return to Trenton. I had a relationship I needed to nurture, and people to show the changes I've made in my life. I still wasn't sure what I wanted to do when I got back to Trenton, but a few ideas were rolling around in my head.

The End - for now...

/

_Author Note: I've decided to finish this story here and start a sequel with Steph's return to Trenton. Hopefully you will all tune in again soon when the as-yet-untitled sequel is posted. It will be very soon, as in maybe tomorrow. Thank you very much for reading my first fanfic! I've loved reading all the reviews and seeing how many people followed the story or made it a favorite. Thanks again!_


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